


Epilogues

by LanternJawedStudmuffin



Series: The Ship That Never Was [4]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Amputee, Anal Sex, Biting, Bittersweet, Burnplay, Character Development, Coronation, Cunnilingus, Destiny Islands, Disabled Character, F/F, Festivals, Friendship/Love, Gold Fetish, Implied/Referenced Kidnapping, M/M, Marathon Sex, Multi, Mutual Pining, Nobody Axel, Nostalgia, Oral Sex, Past Child Abuse, Pirates, Polyamory Negotiations, Porn with Feelings, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Princes & Princesses, Romance, Temperature Play, The Talk, Vaginal Fingering, Wedding Planning, sailors
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-07
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-07 02:42:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8779978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LanternJawedStudmuffin/pseuds/LanternJawedStudmuffin
Summary: Several glimpses into the events that follow The Ship That Never Was; revisiting Destiny Islands, crowning a Queen, and the adventures of a heartless pirate.





	1. Three Months Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The royal entourage revisits Sora and Roxas's first home, the Destiny Isles, and a discovery is made about Riku's past.

The Destiny Islands were a glittering cluster of sand and trees welcoming the ship to its port. Riku's vessel, The Way to the Dawn, was coming upon their destination with a plethora of Radiant Gardens' most important figures, not the least noteworthy being the future Queen herself and the once-lost princess. Neither of their highnesses had ever visited before, despite the number of times one of them had drawn the exact scene they were coming upon.

Namine watched their approach raptly, Kairi at her side. Her condition was still considered too delicate to be left alone, her parasol shielding her from the sun and light lace dress a precaution against the heat. Kairi looked all the more grand in comparison in her full gown and was also shielded from the sun, nothing in her appearance letting on that she'd just spent several hours in a private cabin with Sora and Riku, discussing sword techniques and newly acquired armaments for their crew.

In every other situation, Namine's personal guard would have been close at hand... but for the time being, Roxas had been allowed to quietly stray from her side, standing at the bow with one hand over his brother's and a subdued expression of awe. Sora was less subtle and less professional, gripping the rail and staring ahead unblinkingly.

“It looks like the kind of place we talked about as children,” Namine observed softly. “The kind with sparkling sand and mermaids.”

“It does, doesn't it?” Kairi replied with a dreamy quality. “We'll have to spend some time collecting shells along the beach. I want to make you a new charm.”

The charm that had formerly been for Namine now dangled from around Sora's neck, where it always sat if it wasn't in his pocket for safekeeping.

“I'll make you both necklaces of seashells,” He interjected cheerfully, “We used to do it all the time, right, Roxas?”

Roxas was still staring fixedly at the beach. “Right. I don't remember any mermaids, though.”

Namine almost laughed, but was more contemplative over Roxas's expression than she was amused. “I can make do without them.”

Riku, who had made brief stops at the Islands before and was thus far less interested in them than he was in Sora, stepped forward. “You may not have to. After everything we've seen, I won't rule them out.”

“Mermaids don't come up to beaches, I think,” Sora remarked, sounding a little distant. “They swim into lagoons.”

Kairi smiled. “That's what they're like in the stories I've read. Lounging on rocks and preening themselves...” her gaze drifted to Namine, imagining her like one of the mermaids in her old picture books. Blonde hair dripping on her shoulders, pearly white scales, her pale breasts shamelessly uncovered…

She cleared her throat hastily. “We may have to inspect the lagoons.”

“We'll see,” Riku vowed, amused, and gave Sora's arm a gentle squeeze before he went to oversee their docking. Sora smiled at him as he went.

“... This must be strange for you both,” Namine guessed.

“They look the same,” Roxas said quietly. “It's like they've been preserved this way since we left...”

“I suppose it feels like you've been away much longer than you really have. Over several years... not much _would_ change.”

“I guess so...”

Sora put a bracing hand on Roxas's arm. “Mama said life moves slower on the Islands. No one's in a rush to change things.”

“I think it's better that it hasn't,” Namine ventured. “It wouldn't feel anything like home, if you couldn't recognize it.”

“You're right,” Roxas grinned at her. “You're too smart for me, you know.”

Pleased to see him smile, she returned it.

Kairi watched from afar as Riku issued orders and delegated the discussion with the dock master to his new first mate. Her concern built as it became clear they'd be disembarking from the ship soon, and she gently slid Namine's hand into hers. “Are you alright? Do you need a drink of water or some more shade?”

“I'm alright,” she reassured her. “I may need to sit in a little while, but not yet.”

“Well, lean on my arm if you need to. Chief Wakka has invited us to his lodge for our visit, we'll be headed straight there.” Hastily, Kairi amended, “But if you need to rest a moment before we leave the ship, of course...”

“I'm alright. I don't want to keep Roxas and Sora on board any longer than they have to be.”

Riku approached, inclining his head in the briefest and most casual reproduction of a bow. “We can escort you to land now, Your Highnesses.”

Roxas returned to his position just behind the princesses with the marked difference of having Sora standing alongside him, the temporary replacement for Kairi's personal guard. There had been doubts cast on Her Highness's decision to have Sora attend to her safety given his condition – a guard with one leg couldn't keep her properly safe, some had said – but a mere look was enough to silence naysayers. Roxas had been decided to be the most capable choice in tending to Namine, but in any case, Kairi did not let go of her.

“Yes. Thank you, Riku, that will be most kind.”

Namine nodded her agreement. “Thank you, Commodore.”

Sweeping his arm to indicate the way, Riku led while keeping in step with the princesses. Kairi twirled her parasol idly.

“So, I suppose you'll be taking off on official business as soon as we're settled?”

“Yes, but I will be taking board with you and your entourage tonight,” Riku answered.

Kairi frowned faintly. “You will be coming to the celebration he's holding for us tomorrow night? I hear the feasts are something to behold.”

“They are!” Sora chimed in. “Roxas and I only ever went to one, we were too young before that. But I remember these huge tables, and dancing, and everyone we knew was there...”

“I wonder if anyone would recognize us now,” Roxas mused, almost inaudible.

Riku smirked faintly at Sora's enthusiasm. “The crew has the night off to enjoy the festivities. I'll be there, Your Highness.”

“Good, I'm glad to hear it,” Kairi said brightly. Namine was unable to stifle or cover her giggle, and Riku got the distinct sense that he would have been commanded to attend if he wasn't already.

“Send word if you require anything. Any of you.”

“Naturally,” Kairi replied, “but the Chief was more than clear in his letter that we shouldn't want for anything during our stay.”

“Then it sounds like you're in good hands.” Riku looked to Sora. “I'll also keep you updated, but Kairi is your priority as always.”

There was a touch of humor in his eyes when Sora responded, “Yes, sir.”

“You'll be missed, but I hope you enjoy yourselves.” Riku offered Kairi a hand to help her off the gangplank.

“We will. Thank you so much for bringing us here, Commodore.”

Already, Sora was distracted, looking up and down the shoreline and soaking in every familiar sight. He was itching to point them out to the princesses or recall them fondly with Roxas, who was wondering if the trees had gotten smaller.

Riku brought them as far as the pier's end, right to the beach.

“Palm trees...” Namine marveled.

“Roxas and I used to spend as much time in trees as on the ground. I bet I could still climb one faster than anyone on the ship,” Sora boasted.

Kairi smiled. “My, you did grow up very differently...”

Nudging him, Roxas chided, “Let's focus on getting where we need to go before we climb any trees.”

“Right. I didn't mean _now_...”

Namine studied the sand, watching her dress sweep through the white-gold grains. “It's all so pretty...”

“We'll find a good picnic spot for you to draw,” Kairi patted her hand.

Her smile practically glowed. “That would be nice.”

So busy adoring Namine, Kairi nearly tripped herself up with her skirts, unused to walking on the sand. Only by being the crown princess did she escape mockery.

  
  


* * *

  
  


No matter how busy the day, Sora held out hope that his nights would end the same way. There was never a perfect guarantee that Riku wouldn't be called away to other business, but he was still fairly sure he was expecting a visit from him tonight. He was fortunate to get a room of his own after a long day of escorting the princesses, of seeing both familiar sights and new, and even more fortunate still not to have been exhausted by it.

Undressing slowly, Sora put aside his boot and attachment for his false leg, not needing them to walk on solid floor. There had been a couple of incidents with it earlier, the sand less forgiving to the wooden appendage. He'd laughed when it sank into the ground, though, determined not to lose his good humor about it... or show it, when he didn't find it so easy.

A gentle knock made Sora's heart leap. He hadn't gone far from the door, and took no time in getting there even with his lopsided gait. Unlatching the door, he opened it wide enough to let his visitor in.

Riku ducked inside and let the door close behind him. “Didn't keep you waiting, did I...?”

They were almost chest-to-chest, but Sora saw no reason to put any distance between them. “No,” he grinned. “I'm just glad you're here.”

Blindly, Riku reached back to make sure the door was properly shut as he bent to kiss him, the contact eagerly returned. It was equal parts affection and lust, passion high after the trip to the Islands had kept them busy for so many nights. Sora's moan was almost too quiet to be heard, but Riku felt it through his entire body.

He was careful in directing Sora back to his bed, tilting his head when Sora's mouth descended on his throat. As was his compulsive habit, Riku murmured, “This is okay?”

Used to the need to reassure him, Sora told him, “I've been wanting to do this since we got here.”

Riku grinned, hands skimming down his arms and easing him to the mattress, joining him there in the same movement. “So have I.”

Sora kissed everywhere he could reach until his back was against the mattress, letting Riku remove his shirt. Now that he didn't have to walk, though, there was something rather pressing to attend to.

“Mm-... One moment...”

Riku paused, liking the feeling of Sora moving under him to sit up. Shuffling to the edge of the bed, Sora rolled up his trousers and unlatched the bindings keeping his false leg in place, letting it slide to the floor with a clatter. The stump that was left below his knee was discolored from scarring but long since healed, no longer hurting when Sora anchored himself against it.

Sitting up beside him, Riku kissed from his neck to his shoulder. “Better?”

“Mn...” Sora tilted his head slowly, feeling lighter. “Much better.”

“Good,” Riku grinned, nuzzling his shoulder and running his hand down his arm. Sora reached back to squeeze Riku's thigh, warmth surging pleasantly through him.

The two of them began removing clothing, abandoning shirts and jackets and unlacing pants.

“You're getting more muscle,” Riku observed, scanning him. Sora grinned.

“You work your crew hard.”

“Not too hard, I hope,” he remarked, running a hand over Sora's abdomen to admire the tone. He kissed him again, Sora still smiling into it, and resumed taking their clothing off with his free hand. Riku got somewhat distracted when he was able to brush bare skin, trailing up to the apex of Sora's thighs.

Balancing his weight, Sora pushed his hips up a little and watched Riku's hand with lowered eyelids, taking shallow breaths. He made a low, appreciative sound as Riku's hand glided over his cock, his lips sliding across his jaw. Still, his fingers caught the top of Riku's pants, willing to take over removing them if Riku was going to get caught up in this.

Realizing he'd done just that, Riku snickered softly. “Forgot what I was doing...”

“Lucky you have me to remind you.”

“I'm the luckiest man alive.” Riku stole another kiss before he sat up to strip bare.

“Maybe,” Sora teased. He draped his arms over Riku's shoulders when he came back.

“Love you.”

“Good. Love you too.”

Laughing a little, Riku kneaded lightly down his chest and hips, following his fingers with his lips. Sora exhaled heavily, running his fingers down into Riku's hair and spreading his legs in anticipation when he eased down towards his cock.

Kneeling off the side of the bed, Riku kissed his thigh and wrapped a hand around the base.

“Mn, you're perfect,” Sora breathed, gazing down at him. Riku grinned faintly.

“Not true,” he said, lips brushing over the length. “We can't _both_ be.”

Sora was too distracted to respond. His fingers curled in Riku's hair and under his jaw, breathing in time with the motion of his tongue as Riku parted his lips around the head. He was getting hard easily, barely needing the prompting of his soft sucks or his thumb running up and down the shaft. Under his ministrations, Sora was becoming pliant and needy.

“ _Riku_...”

At the sound of his name, Riku began to swallow him, throat relaxed and smug for having worked him up like this.

“N-ngh-!” Sora pressed against him with his whole leg, and Riku immediately wrapped a hand around it to brace himself. There was a little hum of vibration as he moved down on his cock, eliciting something incomprehensible from Sora.

Those sounds he made were the perfect incentive to moan with a little more intention.

“Yes-...” Sora tilted his head back. “You are wonderful at this...”

Amused, his tongue traced the head again as he drew back, letting Sora's hand guide his pace. Sora was rubbing little circles against the spot just below his ear that he liked, alerting his body to desire.

Riku drew off of him breathlessly. “We need oil...”

Sora's light flush deepened. “I brought a small bottle with my things.”

“Were you expecting something?” Riku smirked, kissing his amputated leg before climbing back up to retrieve it.

“Maybe I need it for my sore muscles,” Sora claimed, but his smile told a different story.

“Perfectly legitimate,” he agreed, and went looking for the vial in Sora's pack of spare clothes. It had been wrapped in the softest garments he had to protect the glass, and to keep it hidden.

“You found it alright?” Sora questioned when Riku came back to bed with the bottle in hand.

“Tucked in your clothes... Same place I would have if I didn't want it seen,” Riku declared, uncapping it.

Sora laughed sheepishly. “Have to be clever to keep the men from asking questions.”

“Wise,” Riku agreed, beginning to slick his fingers and leaning down to kiss his throat. Anchoring himself back with his leg and both arms, Sora shifted to give him access.

He was so careful, mindful not to leave marks on Sora's skin, knowing a hot sun might prompt him to remove his shirt in broad daylight. It was with just as much care that Riku brushed Sora's entrance.

“You don't have to be so gentle,” Sora coaxed, almost whispering. “I can handle it.”

Riku hummed. “Are you sure? I don't want you to hurt even for a second.”

Nuzzling him, Sora reassured him, “You know I'll tell you if it's uncomfortable at all.”

“I do know,” he exhaled, and started to work a finger into him. Sora opened up to him with ease, his body remembering Riku each time.

“Mm... And I know how good this always feels... How much I want you...”

Face flush with a surge of heat, Riku's affection came clear through kisses and he rotates his finger slowly. Sora drew him up to return the favor with equal measures of adoration, little groans throaty as Riku massaged his prostate. He nibbled Riku's lip so gently that the brush of teeth was almost as soft as lips.

With a quiet, pleased sound, Riku teased with a second finger. Arching, Sora braced his foot on the edge of the bed to keep himself open and adjust, making a sound that Riku basked in.

He was about to ask if he could take the next, but knew that Sora's responsiveness was his way of saying that he could. Instead, he began to work the second finger inside, and Sora broke the kiss to moan clear and loud.

Riku's breath shuddered a little. “I love the way you moan...”

Licking his lips, Sora broke into a grin, massaging down his arms.

“Everything about you is so open and good...” Riku interrupted himself by kissing from Sora's cheek to his ear, flicking his tongue over the lobe.

Sora's expression melted into one of heated bliss, loving everything he did with his tongue. “ _Ah_...”

Scissoring his fingers slowly, Riku teased the shell and Sora exhaled his name like it was all he needed to breathe. Twisting slightly, he lay his amputated leg flat on the bed and raised the other, tilting his head when he couldn't take the teasing tongue anymore. His laugh was broken up by a gasp when Riku started directing all his focus to Sora's prostate.

“ _Mn_...!”

“Sora,” Riku almost groaned, shifting closer until Sora could feel his erection pressing up to him. The sensation was a tease, tempting Riku to rock against him, but he resisted and focused on stretching Sora thoroughly.

After a few moments of clinging, Sora let Riku move freely again, coaxing, “Mn... You can keep going...”

“Alright...” Riku worked a third into him with the first two, still going slow. It was a marvel, the way Sora's body was so trusting, so willing... “You're perfect... You take this so well...”

Sora rocked his hips into his fingers. “I want to touch you...”

“You can, anywhere...”

Pulling him closer by the jaw, Sora kissed him almost frantically, over his lips and down to his jaw, nuzzling into his neck as he slid his hands down his sides. Riku met the kisses with fervor, breath catching when Sora's lips broke away to move down. Three fingers thrust in and out of him slowly, getting Sora a little drunk on the feeling. He kneaded Riku's hips with an underlying strength that seemed to be just waiting to grab him, pull him closer, and Riku felt -

 _Craved_ , which almost instilled a reflexive jolt of panic. It was quickly smothered when he remembered this was Sora, this was _good_ , and he wanted to give and take in equal measure.

“Nn-...” Sora murmured his name again somewhat absentmindedly, the quality to his voice catching Riku on to what he wanted.

“You feel ready... Do you want-...?”

Sora nodded, his grin teasing. “You're not going to make me wait any longer?”

Slicking himself hastily, Riku removed his fingers one at a time, his smile spreading. “No more waiting,” he promised, and repositioned himself.

Arms twined around Riku's back as he pressed himself into Sora, thrusting slowly in to the hilt.

“God, Sora...”

Wrapped around each other, Sora felt filled and surrounded and loved all at once with Riku occupying his whole world. “Nn... That's better,” he exhaled, shivering before his muscles uncoiled and adjusted.

“You feel amazing, I love you...” Riku kissed his shoulder, his collarbone. “Need you...”

Fingers twined in Riku's hair to loosely keep him against his throat, and Sora turned a steady, pleased shade of red. To think there was ever a time he feared that Riku didn't love him...

Sucking lightly and groaning quietly, Riku began to move into Sora, the slow drag turning into intense and amazing pressure inside of him.

“Ngh...”

Riku's breath caught. “Okay...?”

“Yes... Don't stop.”

“Mm...” Relieved that his sound wasn't one of distress, Riku began to thrust into him – still slow, but with less extreme caution, creating a steady pace.

Sora twirled silver hair in his fingers, nearly caught up in the silken feel of it as all the other sensations pressing in on him. “Ah... That's perfect, like that...”

Riku's moan was affirmative, kisses sliding back up to his jaw. Rolling his hips back to physically draw him deeper, Sora settled his leg over Riku's hip and groaned with less restraint when he got the hint; his thrusts became long and deep.

“Sora...”

He'd forgotten where they were and neither one cared anymore if they were overheard. They didn't care about anything so long as they could keep feeling like this, hot and buzzing with pleasure, thrusts gradually picking up speed.

Vibrating all though his body, Sora caught one of Riku's hands to hold tightly, and the other to prompt down between his legs. Riku made a sound that was almost apologetic for having taken so long to touch him, starting to stroke him and spiking the heat up to a new level. Their kisses became clumsier as they both drew closer to orgasm, groans mingling.

Riku caught his lips in a proper kiss, trying to warn Sora that he was on the brink with a long moan, and Sora's own cry joined it. Bucking, warmth overwhelmed them and Riku couldn't tell Sora's climax from his own, every nerve singing with adoration.

Sora hadn't even recovered from his high before he transitioned into cuddling. Riku inhaled sharply to catch his breath again, nuzzling his hair.

“... Mm, want to lie on top of me?” Riku murmured, thinking of his leg. Sora's lips more dragged against his cheek than kissed it.

“Yes, please.”

He shifted over and brought Sora with him. Rolling heavily on top of Riku, Sora made himself comfortable, tingling with warm satisfaction and love when arms slid around him to help him brace.

“You're amazing,” Riku hummed fondly, thoroughly exhausted.

“Stay with me tonight?” Sora asked, mumbling.

“Of course.” They ran the risk of being seen if someone came in to wake them, but Riku didn't want to be separated from him.

Moments like _these_ were what made this trip worthwhile – not the work Riku was doing, which was nonetheless important. Moments in which Riku felt like he was at home, in which he knew that the two most important women in his life were only a hall away, protected and happy, in which his lover's brother was safe and close by, in which he was safe in the knowledge that he would both fall asleep and wake with Sora in his arms.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The banquet Chief Wakka had prepared was every bit as incredible as Kairi might have dreamed. She was both astounded and entertained by the festivities, never having seen so many different sorts of people all together at such a gathering; most of them were locals with their entire families, as well as many colonists sitting and chatting among the natives like old friends, and Riku's men and her Royal entourage. The large tables were set up outdoors and were almost groaning under the weight of their meals (and more food was still on the way), torches being lit as she sun set. Riku had the strangest urge to take off his boots to feel the sand under his feet, as many of the islanders had done.

The atmosphere was a whirlwind of laughter and light, dizzying Namine but not overwhelming her so much as to give her a desire to leave. Sora drank it all in, the _feeling_ of these parties clearer than the rest of his memory of it.

Warm, welcoming, familial.

Kairi opened her fan for what felt like the hundredth time that day. She was unable to understand why, after all she'd been through and seen, the way that people were dancing and a large proportion of little girls in short dresses and no shoes coming to inspect her was enough to fluster her. Namine's fan was over her face more often than not, as well, sneaking knowing looks at Kairi.

“Do you need any more water, Your Highness?” Riku inquired, tone carefully measured as to not suggest he was teasing. “You're looking a little flushed.”

Giving Namine a weak smile, Kairi answered, “No, thank you, I still have plenty.”

Approaching, Sora tapped Kairi's shoulder for her attention. “I spoke to Chief Wakka, and one of his people is going to come and attend you for a while, if you agree to that.”

“Yes, I don't mind. You should enjoy the party,” she encouraged, still fanning herself spiritedly.

Sora leaned down and whispered eagerly, “It's a _lady_ guard!”

“Really?” Namine looked up in interest. “I remember being told that the Islands are more progressive...”

“I'm quite interested to meet her. Thank you, Sora.” Kairi extended a hand to him, which he bowed to kiss. Sora went back to report to Chief Wakka and his people, wanting to make sure Kairi was well taken care of.

Riku started, “So you'll definitely be alright if Sora -?”

“You don't need to hover over us – you should have fun,” Namine gently interrupted.

“Namine is absolutely right. This isn't negotiations or any kind of ceremony,” Kairi agreed. “We're here as guests being treated to their culture. That includes the officers.”

“... Still, if you'd feel safer, I don't mind -”

“Riku,” Kairi silenced him, exasperated, “Do I have to order you to have a good time?”

“Maybe you ought to just in case,” Namine whispered conspiratorially.

“Alright – alright, if you insist,” Riku amended, looking to Sora. Admittedly, he was glad to have time to spend with him.

Giggling behind her fan, Kairi turned to look at Roxas. “Would you like some time off as well?”

Roxas didn't answer. He was staring at the flickering torches with a strange intensity.

Sympathetic, Namine reached out one hand, not sure if he _wanted_ to be torn from his thoughts. “Roxas?” she tested softly.

“Hm?” Roxas inhaled as though he'd just remembered to breathe, forcing attentiveness and looking down at Namine. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing,” Namine studied his face. “Never mind.”

Sora had removed the boot off his good leg and carelessly discarded it, gallantly offering Riku his arm. “Shall we?”

“You don't typically offer your arm to another gentleman,” Riku remarked, amused, but took it anyway. Surely he could explain it away if someone thought it strange.

“Oh,” Sora glanced at their joined arms, a touch embarrassed. “I thought it would look better than asking for a kiss.”

Swiftly, Riku leaned in to covertly kiss his cheek, then glanced around to see if it was noticed. “I'll owe you a proper one.”

Sora beamed, though it turned sly within seconds. “We're not on the ship or in the palace... Not nearly as many people paying attention to who's sneaking off to whose room, here.”

Last night had been an indication of that much. They had not been caught in the morning. “We have as much time as we like,” Riku smirked. “Did you want to sneak away _now?_ ”

“No, not yet! This is _my_ home – I still have so much to show you!”

“I am curious,” Riku admitted, glancing around at all the dancing people. “I've never seen much of the islands outside the market or the temples.”

“Really? Those are great and all, but you have to go into the forests, and see all the little caves on the beaches, and meet the people too. There's a smaller island you can easily row to from here... Roxas and I used to spend all day playing there.”

Riku could imagine a younger Sora and Roxas treating a little island like their own private world. “I bet Kairi would want to see it, too.”

“We could all go,” Sora suggested. “We'd probably have to rent two boats, but I'm sure Roxas wouldn't mind rowing Namine over, if she wants to. There's a place I want you to see – my secret place.”

“Secret place?”

“Yeah. It's a secret.”

Riku raised an amused eyebrow. “I gathered that. I don't get to know anything else about it?”

“No,” Sora grinned.

“What if I ordered you, as your commanding officer?”

“ _Are_ you ordering me?”

“I think that might be an abuse of authority... So I guess I'm stuck with the mystery.”

“Good, you've got it,” Sora said cheerfully, leading him. There were more people up and talking than eating, here, and some were even singing. Only one scarred man was quiet in his enjoyment of the festivities, sitting apart from the clusters of people and drinking from a white jug.

“Do you want to get a drink?” Sora inquired.

“I wouldn't mind one.”

Turning to where great flagons were being freely handed around, Sora unwound from Riku's arm to grab two. “Oh, I never got to try this! It's made from fruit that grows on the Islands.”

“Not paopu, is it?” Even now, Riku was intrigued by the legend.

“Oh... no. They do make a drink from paopu, but it wouldn't be very responsible to hand it around to just anyone, would it?”

“I guess not,” Riku laughed.

Having glimpsed a distinctive head of hair, the quiet man lowered his jug.

“Actually, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure they only make that at weddings,” Sora mused, holding a flagon out to Riku.

“I wonder if it'd be possible to import some.”

“For you and Kairi?” Sora lit up. “I'm sure a queen could ask for some, and if this visit goes well, maybe the Chief will bring it himself,” he laughed.

“I wouldn't mind drinking it with Kairi... But I also thought I could drink it with you.”

His blush not terribly visible in the firelight, Sora paused with the flagon halfway to his lips. “You want to...?”

“I'm surprised that _you're_ surprised.” Riku grinned and lifted his flagon. “I want to.”

Remembering more and more about the Islands' customs as he talked about them, Sora quick drank rather than respond, flustered.

Enjoying the taste of the fruity wine, Riku lowered his drink. “If you don't want to...”

“No, no, I, um... Do you want to sit?”

“Sure.”

They took two seats together, unknowingly making their way towards their observer. Riku was attentive in case Sora needed help lowering himself into the seat, but did not insult him by offering it. Sora had a harder time balancing with a drink in his hand, but he eased into the seat with minimal assistance. Settling back, Sora drank to his success.

Also taking a seat, Riku opened his mouth to ask more questions about the paopu fruit when he paused, instead. He'd noticed they were being watched.

“... Do you recognize that man?”

“Hm?” Sora looked around and, without thinking, met the scarred man's eyes.

Their observer didn't even flinch. He lifted the jug towards them as though in salute, and drank again.

“He's been watching us.”

Eyebrows raising, Sora squinted at him in thought. “He looks... Maybe I saw him a long time ago?”

Mistrust high and tension up his back, Riku began to get up. He didn't like that the man didn't look away, or that the corner of his lips had risen. “Just a moment.”

“I'll go with you,” Sora offered immediately. Balking for only a second, Riku extended his hand.

The Islands were supposedly a peaceful place, but Riku couldn't help envision the fight that might break out if the staring man turned out to be a threat. Steeling himself for whatever manner of threat the stranger might issue, Riku approached with Sora close by.

“Pardon, sir, but I've noticed that you've been staring.”

Rather than deny it, the man calmly replied. “I have. My apologies.”

Not nearly so anxious, Sora was more curious than anything. “This might be an odd question, but have you lived on the island a long time? At least... ten years, maybe?”

The man lowered his drink. “I have. I was staring because I recognized you.”

Sora's eyes widened. “You remember me? You knew my family?”

“Not you,” he shook his head slightly, and looked directly at Riku. “You.”

“... What?”

Sora was staring at Riku now, too. “You have been here with the Navy before, haven't you?” he asked slowly.

“No...” Riku's eyes narrowed, now full of doubt. “You must be mistaken.”

“I know that silver hair. The last time I saw you... You were barely a boy, yet.” The man lifted the jug. “Time flies.”

“Could it have been a different boy?” Sora tilted his head in confusion.

“I suppose it's possible... but you look very much like your mother.”

Riku felt like he'd just taken a blow to the head.

Sora's jaw dropped as understanding fell upon him. “You knew Riku's mother – I mean, his real mother?!”

“They used to live here. It's been years...”

“... You must be mistaken,” Riku repeated, staring. “I'm-... You say they _used_ to be here? A man and a woman?”

“A young couple whose son went missing,” the man confirmed. “You couldn't have been older than three.”

“They were from here, though? Are you saying Riku was born on the Islands?” Sora's eyes were very round.

“That's correct.”

Sora's excitement at this revelation was palpable, but it was not shared. Riku had gone a little pale, not having thought about Ansem taking him away for quite a while. Now, though, the idea was... sharp, and real.

Barely three years old, the stranger said. How had he done it?

“That's incredible!” Sora took hold of his arm. “You know what this means, don't you?”

Still working on that, Riku spoke a little numbly, “It means...”

“You can find out who you are now, and your parents – They could still be alive somewhere, we could find out who they are, we could _look_ for them! And you and I, we're like kin! Well, not exactly... not _related_ , probably...”

“Why did they leave?” Riku interjected quietly. “Were they looking for me?”

“I wouldn't know,” the man answered, still calm. “They took the first ship off the Islands the moment they gathered fare; there wasn't very much time to ask. No one knew whether or not you were still alive, but it's possible they held onto that hope.”

Sora struggled to stay quiet to allow Riku to ask as many questions as he liked, his mind flooded with possibilities. If not for Ansem, their families could have known each other – perhaps they even could have grown up friends.

Riku had no questions, though. He'd fallen quiet.

The man watched him, not seeming to expect any one response over the other. “I wouldn't know where they went. I'm sorry.”

“It's been almost fifteen years,” Riku muttered faintly. “They probably wouldn't still be there, anyway.”

“That doesn't mean they're gone! If we found out where they were going when they left, there's a trail to follow!” Sora exclaimed. Riku made a vague sound.

“Maybe.”

The scarred man stood. “Sorry to have disturbed.”

“No, thank you for telling us!” Sora told him. The man inclined his head.

“Enjoy the festival,” he said, sweeping around them and walking away.

Riku was silent.

“This is amazing, Riku,” Sora was still brimming with excitement. “Don't you see – you're one of us!”

“I guess I am,” he replied quietly.

“We need to tell Roxas! We could tell Chief Wakka. He could welcome you!”

“No – I'd rather not.”

Only now did Sora notice that Riku wasn't nearly as enthused. “Oh... Then, we don't have to.”

“I need,” Riku muttered, “I need to think.”

“Right, you would... But there's so much we can do now, I have to show you _everything_.”

“... Everything about these islands...”

“They're your home too, now,” Sora told him warmly. “I mean, really, they always were.”

“I don't know if that's true,” Riku denied, expression strange. “... I think I should return to the lodge...”

Sora frowned slightly, worried. “Do you want me to come with you?”

Riku shook his head. “You should stay... Enjoy yourself...”

“You're certain...?”

With a distracted nod, Riku took his hand briefly. “I'm fine. I'll be fine.”

Wanting to offer some kind of comfort, Sora pushed himself up to kiss his cheek, only for Riku to capture his lips instead. All at once he didn't care enough appearances, tilting his head to meet the kiss and holding Riku lightly.

Then he wondered if, in all this revelation, Riku was thinking about Ansem. He suddenly felt strange kissing him.

Riku drew away. “I'll see you later tonight...”

“I'll tell Kairi and Namine where you've gone,” Sora nodded, stepping back.

“Thank you.”

Riku passed the laughing islanders, the people singing and dancing. His way to the lodge was a maze of things that suddenly didn't seem familiar enough to him, like seeing a stranger's face in a mirror.

He spent the night thinking about how Ansem might have done it. Had he been ripped from his mother's arms? Taken in the dead of night? Or had his parents been somehow tricked into trading him away, or into looking in the other direction as he was snatched? What was it about _him_ that had inspired Ansem to take him – was it merely the fact that he had silver hair, and could be passed off as his own son?

The man had said he looked like his mother. Was she serious and competitive, also? Was his father a capable fighter? Were they determined to protect each other, and had they thought they'd failed to do the same for him?

Right then, he wasn't Riku, Commodore of Radiant Garden's Navy, once the Captain of the now-famed Highwind. He didn't feel like he'd ever been that person.

He was just a little boy from the Islands, taken away from his home.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The rowboat was small enough that it only required one person to row it, but Sora took an oar all the same. He was determined to make their trip to the old play island as positive as possible, not having been sure what to say to Riku since last night. He just wasn't taking the news the way Sora had expected.

Kairi was also a little tense, though it was only for the duration of the boat ride. It reminded her too strongly of their escape on the lifeboats, and she told herself that she couldn't _really_ smell burning on the air. Still, she obsessively kept her eyes on the other boat not twenty feet away, watching Roxas row Namine. Knowing they were under scrutiny, Namine was the epitome of composure, shielded by her parasol and a light smile on her face. She wanted to project nothing but calm assurance, and part of what kept her relaxed was talking to Roxas.

“I'm trying to imagine what your childhood must have been like, being able to go to a tiny island and play on your own...”

“Didn't you three go on some adventures of your own?” Roxas reminded her, rowing them along.

“We had to be pretty crafty to give our guards the slip.”

Roxas grinned. “That's quite a difference from us, you're right. Our father took us out to the island almost every day while he worked. I can't imagine being supervised every moment of the day...”

“It was for our protection, but it did get tiring,” Namine confessed.

“If you want to climb a tree, I won't let on to Her Majesty.”

“I couldn't,” she giggled. “If Kairi saw me, I'd give her a heart attack.”

“Good point. I don't want to be executed for accidentally killing the future Queen.”

“I would defend you, but I'd much rather not run the risk at all,” Namine reassured him, looking over to give Kairi the tiniest wave with a spreading smile. Kairi waved back, more at ease.

“Nothing will happen to either of you on my watch,” Roxas told her. “Tree-climbing or no.”

“I know,” Namine turned the smile on him, but there were traces of concern to it now. “... It's Riku I'm worried about.”

“Riku?” Roxas frowned. “What's wrong with him?”

Namine bit her lip gently. “I'm not sure... But something's changed. He's been so much better than he was... Every time he comes back, it's like there's a little more light in his eyes, a bit more brightness. This morning, it was like... it was snuffed out.”

“Do you think something happened last night?” Roxas glanced over to the other boat.

“Something must have.”

“I wonder if Sora knows... If anything, he seems happier today.”

“He does, doesn't he,” Namine agreed.

“I'll speak to him when we reach the island. See what I can find out.”

“We're awfully close, now,” she noted, looking at the encroaching shoreline. Noticing the other boat was ahead of them, Roxas rowed harder to keep up.

Riku brought their boat as close to the shore as he could until it became more useful to put his oar down, going over the side and wading the last few feet and pulling the boat along. Sora climbed out as well to lessen the weight, limping on the wet sand with the tide washing over his boots. They, and Roxas as well, were mindful to bring the boats far enough onto the beach that the princesses would not even have to wet their feet, the oars put inside to ensure they weren't in danger of drifting out with the tide.

“Thank you,” Kairi took Riku's offered hand and lifted herself – and her skirts – out of the boat.

“You're welcome, Your Highness.”

“Riku, no one's around to hear _what_ you call me. Please, just Kairi.”

“Hm -?” Riku's attention refocused. “Oh, sorry, Kairi.”

“Not to worry, just don't do it again.”

Namine was more careful in standing, gratefully accepting Roxas's help. “Thank you... I don't miss the impractical gowns...”

“They're not ideal for trips to the beach,” Roxas laughed.

“It's beautiful, though... The island itself is warm,” Namine commented, adjusting her parasol and gravitating towards Kairi, who took her arm.

“The colors are so much brighter than anything in drawings,” Kairi admired. “It's all so... vibrant and alive.”

Leaving the boats tied to the pier, Sora went to Roxas's side. “Our island.”

“Yeah...” Roxas put his arm around Sora's shoulders. The nostalgic fondness was hitting him properly, now.

“I wonder if our treasure is still buried here...”

“Except there was never any real treasure. Just rocks with our names carved in them.”

Namine twined her arm around Kairi's. “We should look for it! It could be fun.”

“Are we treasure hunting before or after our picnic?” Kairi inquired, amused.

“Probably after.”

Sora slid out from under Roxas's arm after a few moments of basking in the sight of his old home, going to Riku's side. “I can show you everything there is to see,” he volunteered.

“Is there much to see?” Riku asked quietly.

Sora was determined not to be put off by the lukewarm reaction. “There's... everything! I know you'll like it.”

Realizing that probably wasn't the nicest thing he could have said, Riku tried to shake off his mood. “Thank you.”

“We can walk along the beach while the princesses take their picnic,” Sora doggedly continued. “They'll have Roxas, and there's not much threat to them here besides too much sun.”

Riku nodded, knowing their 'protection' was a formality out here and thus not finding reason to argue. “Right.”

Roxas had gone to fetch the immense basket containing their lunch from the boat he'd carried Namine over the water on, returning to them with it in his hands.

“Thank you, Roxas,” Namine looked to him. “Are there any spots you'd recommend?”

“I already have one in mind. There's a short walk to get there, but it's worth it.”

Namine was aware that such decisions hinged on her ability to make such trips. “I don't mind walking.”

The five of them proceeded down the shoreline until a raised part of the beach became visible, shaded by the broad leaves of the palm trees and connected by a wooden bridge. Sora chose to go along with Riku in tow, knowing where they were going and wanting him to see it.

“... How often did you say you came here?” Riku attempted to show his interest.

“Every day, unless we were sick in bed or there was a festival.”

“It wasn't just us,” Roxas contributed. “Other children from the Islands played here, too, but not all of them needed to run off as much energy as Sora.”

The image brought a small grin to Riku's face. “I can imagine that.”

Sora laughed without shame. “We explored every inch of this island, you know.”

“To be honest,I think we pretended there was a lot more to explore than there was.”

“It was fun! Like an adventure.”

“Kairi, Riku, and I did the same thing when we used to go exploring the palace or the grounds,” Namine chimed in.

“We did,” Kairi said fondly. “Although, we used to pretend our nurse and the palace guard were the monsters or enemies or whatever was coming to get us. It made the game seem much more exciting.”

Sora laughed again, picturing tiny versions of them running, shrieking and giggling, from a haggard-looking woman. He missed Riku mutter to himself, barely audible, “So maybe that wouldn't have been much different...”

“I remember Namine and I were always giving ourselves up by giggling at the wrong moment, but Riku took things so seriously,” Kairi reminisced. “It was easy to imagine he was a brave adventurer.”

“I sometimes worried he might actually go to battle against the stewards, for us.”

Riku took on a slight tinge of embarrassment. “I probably would have, to be honest.”

“I would have loved to see that.”

“ _Sora_ was the one giving us away whenever we were hiding,” Roxas nudged his brother.

“No I wasn't! You made more noise.”

“I made more noise than _you?_ ”

Namine caught Kairi's eye and smothered a giggle.

His presence, Riku reflected, was probably more valued by a pair of isolated princesses than it would have been by Sora and Roxas. They'd had other children around to play with.

… But that didn't make him feel any better.

Looking like he was going to keep bickering, Sora instead diverted as they came upon a set of wooden stairs, paths of them winding around the rocks and up into the trees. “It's up these steps.”

Kairi inhaled audibly, only now thinking to look up at the structures. “It's like the entire island is your treehouse...”

Sora beamed. “Pretty fantastic, right?”

“It is... It's lovely,” Namine breathed. “Who built all this?”

“I don't know,” Sora admitted. “It was always just sort of there...”

“I guess that's the sort of thing children don't really wonder.”

Looking around, Riku spotted a tree that had grown over sideways, as though it'd fallen. Rather petulantly, he was struck by the immature urge to climb over it and sit there on his own. To his surprise, Roxas began leading them that way across a wooden bridge, and the excitement took over Sora completely. He raced on ahead, ignoring some surprised shouts.

“Sora - ! … Typical,” Roxas sighed.

“Probably best to let him go,” Riku said, finding his smile again through a stab of guilt. The idea of how exciting this had to be for Sora had been late in occurring to him; Sora had to be thinking of this as something they could share, a world he could show Riku knowing they both belonged there.

Sora wasn't thinking of this place as though it had been robbed from him.

“He hasn't changed,” Roxas shook his head slightly.

“I don't think I'd want him to,” Kairi said with a laugh.

Skidding in the sand, Sora waved back to them and clambered onto the low tree trunk, noting how much more convenient of a height it now sat at.

“This is the best spot on the island if you want to just sit and watch the world,” Roxas informed them, helping Namine across the bridge. “If you'd like to stay that long, you can watch the sun set over the horizon from here.”

“I would love to,” Kairi expressed, but looked at Namine, unsure if an outing that long would wear her out too much. She was already nodding along, though.

“That sounds lovely.”

Roxas set the basket down and opened it to begin setting up their picnic, Kairi unwinding from Namine at last to help him lay out the blanket.

“Should I do something to help?” Namine inquired, preemptively moving aside to be out of the way.

Kairi almost dismissed her, but she understood how much she, herself, hated having nothing to do but stay out of the way. “Bring out the glasses for us?”

Nodding, Naming nodded and knelt by the basket, retrieving the glasses with care. Riku passed them to join Sora, leaning against the tree rather than climbing up onto it. With his hands bracing between his legs, Sora leaned forward and turned to grin at him.

“Once they're settled, would you like to go?” Riku proposed quietly.

Sora nodded. “If they don't mind, of course.”

“I don't think they will.”

Both girls were smoothing the blanket and removing their shoes with a degree of giddiness, enjoying the impropriety of doing so. Roxas took off his own, and sat back with a low exhale, giving himself a moment to soak up the sun before returning to his task of unpacking the basket.

Sora hopped down from his perch, and Kairi shielded her eyes from the brightness to look his way. “Are you going to join us?”

Sora grinned somewhat sheepishly. “Actually, I promised Riku I'd show him around the island.”

“If that's alright with you, of course,” Riku tacked on.

Getting the distinct sense that they wanted to be alone, Kairi nodded. “You'll miss the meal, but I don't mind.”

“Have fun,” Namine bade.

There was a little flourish to Riku's bow to indicate that it was a gesture made in jest. “We will. Enjoy your picnic.”

“Don't get lost,” Roxas said, privately noting that Riku really did seem distracted by something.

“We'll find out way back.”

Bobbing hastily in place of a proper bow, Sora took Riku's hand. “Come on,” he prompted him, and the pair of them took off down the bridge again.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Over the next few hours, Sora showed Riku everything the island had to offer. They started by walking along the beach and picking up shells, wading into the shallows and making an attempt at catching fish that was all just splashing about, or splashing each other. After that, he took him up into the wooden pathways and into the forest, pointing out every animal and flower he thought he could remember the name of, pulling fruit down from the trees for them to share. Sora showed him the fastest way to scale a palm tree to shake coconuts down from it before finally leading him back out along the treeline, but they did not yet return to the beach. He'd saved the most important sight for last.

Riku, over that span of time, was approaching a balance in his mindset as he admired Sora at his most ridiculous. It varied moment to moment, whether Riku was more bitter and sad for the childhood he'd lost, or excited that he shared this heritage with Sora.

Guiding him to where the path suddenly ended in an overgrown curtain, Sora stopped and began to push the vines cautiously aside. “I hope it's still there... and still safe.”

Faintly perplexed, Riku tried not to disturb the foliage as he caught vines to move aside. “What – a cave?”

“My secret place. You'll see.” Sora struggled with the thickest of it, not wanting to cut through the plant life if it could be avoided. Increasingly curious, Riku reached out to aid him.

“Here...”

Unexpectedly, the plant wall was much thinner than it looked to be, and Sora almost crashed through it.

“Sora -?”

“I'm alright...” Sora staggered around, poking his head back through. “Come on!”

Riku did so, more cautiously. Vines were pushed farther aside to let some light into the cave mouth, and Sora took Riku's hand again once they were inside. There was enough brightness to see by to bring attention to the markings on the walls, faded by time and dust. They all came up to a certain height, and the farther in they went, the more Riku saw that they were _everywhere_.

And that one... he recognized the way the hair was drawn. “That one... That's a drawing of you.”

“Yeah. We drew all of these,” Sora explained, starting to crouch and readjusting to sit. One hand reached forward, tracing the markings as Riku sank down beside him.

“All of them...” Riku appraised every single one. “Wow...”

“I found this place, but I couldn't stand to keep it secret from Roxas for long. Sometimes I still came down here by myself, though...”

Riku's hand wound around Sora's again, thumb tracing the back of his hand. “Seems peaceful. Safe.”

“It was... it is.” Sora grinned, pointing to another drawing with a distinctive hairstyle – and, notably, horns. “I drew that one when I was mad at Roxas once.”

Riku laughed, the sound surprising himself and echoing off the walls. His eyes roved up the carved pictures. “You had so much more here...”

“More?” Sora questioned.

“More than I first thought, looking at this island.” Riku hesitated before he confessed, “I almost wanted to dislike it, here. Not when we set out, when -... when we learned about my parents.”

“I don't understand. Why?”

“It would've been easier. Less to mourn about the childhood I could have had, away from Ansem.” Riku didn't hitch over his name, the way he sometimes did.

Sora squeezed his hand. “I didn't think... I knew you would be thinking of Ansem, how could you not, but...”

“It's been hard to stop... comparing,” Riku said quietly. Sora's eyes lowered.

“I guess I forgot my memories aren't the same as having your own...”

“I've thought about that, too.” Riku lifted Sora's chin gently with his free hand. “I love that this is your place... That you're sharing this with me. I wish I'd known you all my life, but I'm _so glad_ that it feels like I have anyway.”

His features slowly lit up with a smile. “You know, I don't regret that it took this long for me to know you.”

“And I don't regret where I am now... Who I am now.” Riku squeezed his hands. “Namine and Kairi are safe, you're with me, and I'm strong enough to protect you all if I have to. I'm confident in that. If I'd lived any other life, been any other person... Who knows.”

“You would have been strong no matter what, I know it.”

“Maybe,” Riku grinned. “Couldn't have you beating me.”

Sora laughed, rubbing his thumb against Riku's hand. “... The reason I wanted you to see all of this, and be happy about where you came from... I wanted you to know that you can have an identity without Ansem in it. This is where your blood is... It means you're made of something good. Better than him.”

“I think... I am happy.” Pensive, Riku looked over the drawings again. “I don't think I feel like an Islander – not the way you are. I don't have the same connection, but I _do_ have one. And whether I like it or not, I have a connection to Ansem, but it's changed.” He hesitated, voice getting lower. “I don't hate who he made me, anymore.”

It was difficult to understand, but Sora thought he did well enough to know it was something to be pleased about. “Who or whatever made you who you are... I love you. I love the person you are.”

“I know.” That was part of the reason _why_ Riku found it easier to come to terms with, but he didn't say so. Instead he kissed Sora, lingering on his lips until they realized the light in the cavern was waning.

Riku sat back slowly, looking from the light to the drawings. “... It'll be a shame to return to Radiant Garden so soon...”

“We can always come back,” Sora shrugged. “I've been away for longer.”

“Guess that's true.” Grinning, Riku got to his feet and offered Sora a hand up, an arm going around his waist to help him get his footing firm.

“We should head back, huh?” Sora suggested.

“I imagine we've been missed.”

Sora's smile was a bit cheeky. “I'm sure they had plenty of fun without us.”

“Come on, then,” Riku kissed his cheek and rolled his eyes, letting Sora keep his hand all the way back to their picnic spot.

They found the three of them in a state of serenity, Kairi's head in Namine's lap with shells and trinkets and half-finished charms strewn around her. Namine had stroked her hair until she'd dozed off, and now idly finished a shell bracelet with tones of pink and white. She was aware of their approach but did not lift her head, a tiny smile gracing her expression.

Roxas had taken the spot on the tree trunk, seemingly in a daze as he watched the red sun meeting the sea in the far distance. He didn't snap out of it until Sora's uneven footsteps were nearly right behind him. Turning calmly, he noted in a low voice, “You were gone a while.”

“We had a lot to see... A lot to talk about,” Riku answered.

“Looks like you had a fun day here, yourselves,” Sora observed.

“They were very keen on finding treasures. We didn't find ours, though.”

“You both remember it a little differently, so I couldn't quite pin it down,” Namine murmured. “Maybe next time.”

Riku glanced her way, sometimes forgetting that Namine wasn't completely human. “Right. We'll be back.”

“It could be they're not where he hid them anymore,” Sora pondered. “Maybe someone else found them a long time ago.”

“Maybe...” Roxas slid down from the tree trunk. Riku gave him a searching look.

“Is everything alright?”

“Fine. But if you're going to be here for a while still, I'd like to take a walk on my own.”

Sora caught his arm and squeezed it once as Roxas passed, communicating something only the two of them could apparently understand.

“I wouldn't want to wake Kairi. Take your time,” Riku said.

“Thank you.” Roxas nodded and tilted a corner of his lips reassuringly at Sora before passing them by. Silent, Namine lifted her head to watch him go, setting her charm beside a watching bluish white one. Her fingers returned to Kairi's hair.

Sora took the seat on the tree trunk, gazing out at the sunset for a moment or two before speaking quietly. “Riku...”

“Yes?” He'd taken a seat on the blanket by Kairi and Namine, inspecting the state of the princesses for his state of mind.

“I wouldn't have mentioned this before we heard-...” Sora paused, glancing at Namine. “After last night-... Uh. This is... sort of difficult to talk about.”

Namine was apparently not listening, intent on Kairi, but Riku got up to join him on the tree all the same.

“... I'm listening.”

Sora kept his voice low. “It was what you said to me, about drinking the paopu wine...”

“If we can get our hands on some, yes,” Riku nodded, lacing his fingers with Sora's.

“The truth is, I didn't remember it right away – it's been such a long time since I've thought about the traditions we have...” Sora met his eyes. “But when we're here on the islands, that's a lot like asking to marry me.”

Riku reddened faintly. “... Could I?”

“Could you...?” Sora shook his head. “Wait. You're marrying Kairi. You want to marry Kairi.”

“I do...” Riku leaned back a little, looking towards the sky. “But I also want to marry you.”

Sora followed his gaze. “I don't think that's allowed... I don't think two men can marry in Radiant Garden at all.”

“Maybe... an honorary one.”

“... You would still want to? Honestly?”

“Sora,” Riku grinned. “I've never loved anyone the way I love you. Of course I'd marry you.”

“... Well, when you put it that way...”

“It would have to be more symbolic, but it'd still mean... everything. Anything we want it to mean.”

Beaming brighter than the sun, Sora wrapped his fingers around Riku's.

“That, I could do.”

 


	2. Two Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the Royal Wedding fast approaching, Namine and Kairi attempt to figure out their future.

Namine's days had begun to bleed into each other. She was stagnant in a sea of activity as preparations and decisions were made and revisited; between wedding plans, the coronation, and Kairi's lessons, Namine was alone more often than not and unavoidably left with nothing to do. The schedule was, in fact, so free that she didn't notice that she'd overslept... nor did anyone but her handmaiden and her guard.

Getting ready for the day felt like a waste of energy for them both. Namine allowed her to help her into her gown, but felt rather pointless when she was through. She gravitated towards the window and stared at the grounds below, trying to look beyond the Keep to the reconstruction of Radiant Garden.

There was a knock on the door to her chambers, and even if she had not been expecting it, Namine would have known who it was.

“... Enter...”

Opening the door, Roxas stepped inside and waited at attention. “Good morning, Your Highness.”

“Good morning, Roxas,” she greeted, still staring down into the gardens. She had mixed feelings about them, now; Namine used to love flowers, and those gardens had been host to many fond memories of her childhood with Kairi and Riku. Now, in times of loneliness or melancholy, the shapes of the topiaries seemed to warp and become less friendly.

Looking over his shoulder, Roxas shut the door and went to join her, almost certain that something was wrong. Namine didn't leave her reverie willingly, slow as she looked away from her view to face him.

“I'm sorry if you've been waiting long.”

“... I haven't.” Roxas dropped the formality, never great at the upper class accent to begin with. “What's going on?”

“... Does it seem to you like I have a purpose here?”

“What are you talking about?” Roxas's brow lowered. “You've already had a purpose.”

“I do nothing, here. Kairi is never idle... Sword training, diplomacy lessons... I hardly see her anymore. The wedding is soon, and the coronation...” Namine turned herself away from the window. “And I'm not a part of anything. I sit and wait.”

Glancing very quickly out the window to see what Namine had been seeing, Roxas began to guide her towards the sitting room attached to her chamber. “You may not be about to become Queen, but people need you. No one more than Kairi.”

“For what?” she questioned softly. “Shouldn't I be doing something more than... taking walks and drawing?”

“Do you want to do more than that?” Roxas pulled out a chair for her.

“I don't know what I want,” Namine confessed, sinking into the seat. “Oh – thank you. I want... I want to be a _part_ of this world, not only a spectator.”

Roxas took the seat across from her, wearing an expression of concern. “There was a time I thought that was all you and I could ever be... and maybe part of me still does. It isn't a fate I want for either of us.”

“I don't, either,” Namine wrung her hands. “But... I don't know what we can do.”

“I think the only way we can keep from fading from this world is by leaving a mark on it. We become real by touching other people's lives...” Roxas laughed shortly. “At least, that's what Sora would do.”

Namine smiled a little. “He'll be back soon. I imagine you've been missing him.”

“I always do.” Roxas wasn't about to tell her how alone he'd really been feeling, certain it didn't need to be said. The people in his life were always surrounded by warmth in some fashion or another, loved and loving in turn, but Roxas hadn't felt properly warm since...

... Since some time ago.

They both knew how terribly empty existence became without Kairi or Sora around, as well. For Namine and Roxas respectively, they were their ties to humanity and to feeling. With Sora's frequent forays out to sea, Roxas inevitably started to feel some of that looming nothingness encroach on his being.

Gently, Namine reached for his hand. “... You know what worries me the most?”

“What...?” Roxas allowed her to take it.

“That if I do become active, take part in repairing the Queendom... people will start to think I'm well enough to marry.”

Roxas felt guilty for nearly laughing. “Kairi would never allow it.”

“I know that it's silly,” Namine tried to backtrack, knowing how illogical a fear it really was. To marry, Radiant Garden would have to have a need for stronger political ties, and Kairi had a knack for diplomacy. If times were hard, she would negotiate without holding Namine's hand in marriage as a prize.

“You don't want to leave. That's not silly at all.”

“I just don't want rumors to reflect on her...”

“She can handle it,” Roxas reassured her. “It's you I worry about.”

“I'll be alright as long as I have you and Kairi. Things right now are just so...” she trailed off.

“They'll calm down once she's crowned and married... At least, they'll be more calm then they are now,” Roxas corrected himself.

Namine nodded and sighed softly. “Yes, I know.”

“No matter what, Kairi will always need you. And so will I.”

Giving his hand a light squeeze before letting it go, Namine started to smile. “Thank you.”

“But you're right. There's nothing for us to do in the meantime but wait to attend this or that...”

“It feels so... stale.”

Roxas nodded. “You should get to do more at least than walk the castle grounds. I could chaperone you on an outing somewhere, if you'd like.”

Namine brightened a little. “That might be nice...”

“We can go while Kairi is busy with her lessons, so you won't miss any time together,” Roxas suggested. “I remember you saying that you wanted to bring flowers to the Soldiers' Memorial.”

She nodded and began to rise, Roxas hastening to stand as well, for a gentleman did not remain seated while a lady was standing. “That would be lovely. Shall we?”

Namine waited for his arm, though she didn't need the support as often as she used to. Now it was a friendly gesture, and a friend was exactly what both of them needed at the moment.

 

* * *

 

In direct contrast to Namine, Kairi had _far too much_ to be doing, and felt rather like she was being pulled at from all sides. Her momentum meant that, when it came time to stop and rest, she simply couldn't. Her head buzzed too loudly to relax, her body not yet pushed to the brink of exhaustion, and so Kairi did the only thing she _could_ do.

Parry, jab, evade. Block, strike, evade.

In the center of her bedroom, wearing only her nightgown, Kairi worked out her restlessness by moving through combat stances, meanwhile reciting the names of nobles and ambassadors from allied countries and their family members. She'd need to make small talk at the wedding reception, and after her coronation.

Sara Altney of Sasune. Alus Restor of Saronia. Garnet Til Alexandros XVII. Larsa Ferrinas Solidor...

Thrust, evade, jab, block.

Al-Cid Margrace, Lenna Charlotte Tycoon...

“My dear, are you decent?”

The Queen's call was preceded by a succinct knock on the door, and Kairi froze. Dashing for her dressing table, she picked up her hairbrush and replied, “Come in, Mother.”

Still in her full evening gown, the Queen strode in through the door as it was opened for her by the guard. Regal in every way, she carried herself with a calm authority and grace that Kairi strove to emulate. Since the loss of her father, though, the strain was starting to show around Her Majesty's eyes.

“I'm glad to find you still awake, I worried I'd been kept too long,” she greeted as the door was closed, hands folding in front of her. “How are you feeling?”

By all appearances, Kairi had been occupied with combing her hair; the Queen didn't like the idea of her daughter, the Queen-to-be, training as though she was preparing for the front lines. Her breath carefully controlled so as to not show exertion, she answered, “A little tired, but I suppose I should expect to be.”

“Yes, you've been quite busy.” The Queen took a seat, hands gently resting in her lap. “Your coronation is just around the corner... As is the wedding.” She adopted a careful tone. “Have you given much thought to that?”

Kairi set down her brush and turned to face her mother properly. “About the wedding? Of course I have. I see the dressmaker just about every day, or so it feels like. I'm being asked for my approval on details, still, and with Riku arriving so soon -”

“No, dear,” the Queen interrupted delicately. “About the wedding _night_.”

“The wedding night?” Kairi echoed blankly. “After the ceremony, there's only-... Oh. Oh, yes.” She went pink. “How silly of me...”

“I thought it best we talk about it now, especially when one considers that you're marrying a _sailor_ – now, I have no doubt at all that Riku is virtuous, but travel does _expose_ a man to ideas.”

Embarrassment thankfully did half the work of containing a smile for her; Kairi had a good idea of exactly what Riku and his virtue got up to. “What is there we need to talk about, exactly...?”

“Well...” The Queen was too proper of a woman to simply launch into this conversation. “I presume you know how heirs are produced?”

“Yes, yes, I know -... I understand how it happens, that is,” Kairi responded, flustered.

The Queen looked a tad relieved. “Oh, good... And you are prepared? It can be something of a frightening notion, to a young lady.”

“I'm not sure I know how one prepares for-... such things.”

“While it may seem improper, a good way to – ahem – mentally prepare, is to think of his attributes that please you. It will be much easier to welcome him to your bed if you've had a few days to anticipate.”

What Kairi wouldn't have given to escape this talk. “His... attributes,” she squeaked. “Right.”

The Queen leaned in, a little conspiratorial. “I shouldn't think it difficult, he does keep in good shape.”

“ _Mother!_ ”

She chuckled. “I would encourage you not to be afraid to _look_ , when he shares a bed with you. The more often you feel inclined, the quicker you'll continue the family line...”

Any time she even thought of Riku undressed, her brain seemed to fail. Kairi wanted to run to her bed and hide her warm face in the covers. “I suppose that's true...”

“Are there any questions you have about _how_ it is done?”

Kairi considered whether it was better to ask nothing and avoid the embarrassment, or pretend not to know the things she was already well aware of. “I assumed, with a man, that he... takes care of things, mostly.”

“Perhaps between a common man and woman, but you will be Queen. You must learn to take charge in all things, lest he forget to show you the proper respect.”

Her flush deepened to a shade akin to her hair. “Oh, I see...”

“And do believe me, it will benefit you greatly to conduct yourself as Queen in both public and private,” her mother told her.

Kairi swallowed hard. There was _one_ question she had, and it was probably worth the discomposure to ask. “Mother, does it, er... with a man, will it hurt at all?”

Absently, the Queen was relieved she had to ask. “It will be uncomfortable, at first, and may hurt, but not for very long. Not unless he's doing something wrong.”

Riku would know what he was doing well enough not to hurt her, Kairi was certain. She exhaled. “That's good to hear...”

“Is there anything else you'd like to know?”

“Nothing I can think of,” Kairi said, eager to end the conversation. “You don't think I'll have any trouble producing an heir, do you?”

“I shouldn't think so. It didn't take us very long to have you,” the Queen smiled fondly.

“Alright,” Kairi replied hastily, _not_ wanting to think of her parents... involved. “That's all I need to know.”

“Excellent,” the Queen nodded and started to rise. “Then I bid you a good night, dear.”

Kairi got to her feet with a little bow of her head. “Rest well, Mother.”

She accompanied the Queen to the door and watched her rejoin her guard, departing down the hallway. Then Kairi shut the door and landed with her back against it, taking a few minutes to just breathe. Then she threw on her dressing gown and tied it, going to leave the room.

“I'm going to visit my sister,” she told her own guard.

“Yes, Your Highness. Shall I accompany you?”

“That won't be necessary, thank you.” Kairi swept past as best she could without the train of her full skirts.

Like Kairi, Namine never slept on time, though it was for a much different reason. She needed time to adjust to night before she felt safe enough to sleep, and so she occupied the time by teaching Roxas to play chess, though she knew he only bothered as an indulgence to her. He'd never won once.

With the knight Roxas was poised to move still in his hand, he got to his feet at the sound of a rapid, soft knock at Namine's door.

“Enter?” Namine raised her head curiously.

Pushing the door open, Kairi darted inside. “Namine – oh... Hello, Roxas.”

“Evening, Your Highness,” Roxas bowed, a note of amusement in his voice. He was used to encountering her in Namine's room at night, or very early in the morning.

Feeling a wash of light, Namine got to her feet with a smile. “Kairi... This is a surprise.”

Kairi was still quite flushed. “I need to talk to you.”

“Alone?” Roxas asked knowingly.

“Yes, alone, please,” she breathlessly confirmed.

“Thank you, Roxas. That will be all for tonight,” Namine told him, watching Kairi with a degree of concern as she gathered she was somewhat distressed.

“I'll be outside if you need me.” He bowed to them both before departing the room. Namine approached Kairi, taking her hands.

“Is something wrong?”

Kairi sank gratefully closer. “Not exactly. Only, Mother just came to see me...”

“What for?” Namine guided her over towards the bed to sit.

“She wanted to know if I was prepared for the wedding. Er, that is... what will be expected of me _after_ the wedding.”

Namine bit her lip to hide a smile. “Sex with Riku. Oh dear... That discussion must have been...”

Kairi briefly buried her face in her hands, mortified. “I feel so stupid. Of course I knew we were going to... _eventually_ , I just hadn't thought about actually _doing_ it.”

“Naturally,” Namine nodded, brushing a hand through Kairi's hair and twisting the ends around her fingers. Kairi leaned into the gentle contact.

“It isn't that I don't love and trust Riku, or that I find him unattractive...”

“It just isn't a part of the life with him you've given much thought. It isn't a necessary part of your relationship, apart from having a child.”

Kairi nodded. “It isn't only that...”

“Oh...?”

“I love Riku dearly, and I know I could love his children, too...” Kairi lifted her head to look at Namine. “But he's not the person I dream of having a family with.”

Melting at that look, Namine leaned in to kiss her when words proved inadequate. Relief poured over Kairi's thoughts and she returned the kiss warmly.

Namine lingered, overwhelmed by affection. “... No matter what happens, I _will_ be with you. We'll have our family.”

“I know,” Kairi murmured. “Of course any family I have will be yours as well, but... it just feels so unfair.”

She was sympathetic. “I know... If we could, I'm certain we would, but...”

“It isn't possible. I know that, but I keep feeling like-... or hoping-...” Kairi sighed. “I'm not sure what it is.”

Namine resumed stroking Kairi's hair. “I think I know how you feel. It's different for you, with all your obligations...”

Resting her hands in Namine's lap, Kairi toyed with her dress. “We've seen so many extraordinary things, magical things... _You've_ done them, too. It seems like nothing should be impossible.”

Kissing her cheek, Namine murmured, “We have so much, now. It's not perfect, I know, but I don't mind.”

Kairi lifted her head to look at her, taking in Namine's face for a long moment as she was frequently inclined to do since being reuinted.

“... I made _you_.”

Going a little pink, Namine smiled. “That's true...”

“You don't think...” Kairi leaned in as though afraid she was going to be overheard. “Maybe I could do it again?”

Namine bit her lip, not wanting to be blunt. “Well, um... I am what I am because you made me this way, but I was a presence in the forest before that... I don't know if there would be another one now...”

“But Roxas is like you,” Kairi insisted, “and all the pirates were, so there must be others out there still like you were. And the stories all said the forest was filled with memories.”

“Well, yes, but that was me... I am memory.”

Kairi took her hand eagerly. “But there _could_ be others! Do you know you were the only one?”

Namine felt guilty over the idea of simply rejecting the possibility. “I suppose there's a chance...”

“Then should we try?” Kairi squeezed Namine's hand in eagerness. “A child like that... They would be as much you as they would be me; A true child of ours.”

Her blush deepened. “That's true. It would be incredible to have that...”

“We'll go there – Tomorrow, before Riku arrives. Roxas can escort us.”

“Alright,” Namine agreed, lightly playing with her hair again. “Tomorrow.”

Kairi threw her arms around Namine, holding her tightly. “Even if the chance is small... It is a chance for such incredible happiness...”

Guilt wriggled in her chest, but she wrapped around Kairi all the same. “Mm...”

“May I stay with you tonight?” Kairi spoke into her hair.

“Yes... I've been missing you.”

“I'm sorry I haven't been able to see you much recently...”

“You've been doing so many important things... Don't apologize.”

“Nothing's important enough to keep me away from you for long,” Kairi said adoringly. Namine's fingers drifted over her hair and down to brush her cheek.

“Even sword training?” she teased. Kairi laughed.

“Well, maybe. I have to learn to keep you safe, after all.”

Naming kissed her cheek, nuzzling a little. “It isn't so pressing. We _are_ safe now.”

“But I like doing it, and I like the feeling that I _can_ protect us.”

“And I like that I can give you warning if something is threatening us.”

“We make a perfect team.”

“I already knew that.” Namine sought her lips, humming softly when she was kissed back with all the hope and affection that had welled up in Kairi's chest. Her hand fell away from Kairi's hair to rest on her leg, keeping it there until Kairi pulled them both over to lie down. It was easier to get close like this, slide against her.

She'd had a robe on to keep her decent in Roxas's presence, but Namine pulled it open now with one hand, letting Kairi delve a hand inside with a purr.

“Mm,” Namine sighed, starting to feel warm. She remembered back when stolen kisses were shy and giggly, then warm and comforting. Eventually they started to feel like this, making them tingle and leaving them flushed.

Feeling down the curve of her body, Kairi began to kiss down her throat, finding a spot she liked to nibble gently. Namine breathed out a nigh-audible moan, eyes closing briefly and blindly resting her hands on Kairi's hips.

“Mm...” Kairi kissed her way back up to her cheek. “Namine...”

Namine hummed in response, hands going to smooth Kairi's hair back. Kairi gave her a guilty look.

“I'm... actually quite tired just now.”

Namine started to giggle. “We can sleep.”

Kairi kissed her once more. “We'll get some quality alone time soon, I promise.”

“Don't push yourself... You must be exhausted.” Namine pulled the covers up over them, the two of them discarding their robes and settling properly into bed. They nestled against each other, skin against skin, snuggling for a warm, quiet moment.

“I love you.”

Kairi kissed her forehead and leaned her cheek into soft blonde hair. “I love you... my Namine...”

Closing her eyes, Namine let Kairi's heartbeat lull her to sleep.

 

* * *

 

Committed to his duty with more alertness during travel, Roxas hardly spoke to the pair of princesses on the trip out to the forest. The two girls were hand in hand, walking with care down a mossy hill towards the thick grouping of trees. Their carriage had only been able to bring them so far before the road ended and they had to walk, their dresses adding a considerable weight to their burden.

As weary as she was from walking, Namine was still rather enjoying a stroll with an actual destination in mind. Looking ahead into the woods, she mused, “People still think they're haunted, don't they...”

“As far as I know. It's hard to erase a rumor like that.” Admittedly, some of Kairi's hope stemmed from the idea that the rumor had continued because of another presence like Namine's.

“I wonder if it will just become a part of history. A folk legend.”

“It's a little exciting, to be the only ones who know the truth,” Kairi said.

Namine smiled. “I'm more than happy to keep the truth to ourselves.”

“Me, too.” Kairi lifted Namine's hand to kiss it.

“How far in do you think we should go?”

“I'm not certain... I remember the forest differently.” Kairi glanced back at Roxas. “I don't think so many of us should go in at once... In case whatever might be in there is easily frightened.”

“All due respect, Princess, I can't let you out of my sight,” Roxas denied her.

“I think it will be fine,” Namine assured her. “If there is anything, it might recognize Roxas and I as kindred.”

“Maybe you're right...”

Roxas was somewhat uncomfortable with the association, but not enough to disrupt Kairi's enthusiasm.

“It will be alright, I'm sure of it,” Namine told her.

“As long as you're sure.” Folding her fan, Kairi tucked it away to free her hand, lifting her skirts as they started to walk over creepers and roots. She looked anxiously to Namine. “Will you be able to manage this?”

“I just need to go slowly, that's all...”

“Tell me if I need to slow down.”

“Thank you,” Namine smiled at her.

Kairi climbed through the underbrush and stepped over knots of foliage, weaving them through trees until she felt she'd wandered as deep into the forest as she did to find Namine. She paused to listen.

By the time they stopped, Namine was weary and winded. Roxas almost leapt over a branch to reach Namine in case she needed additional help, and Kairi's attentions refocused on her.

“Do you need to rest?”

“Maybe just a little one...”

Kairi let her brace on her arm. “I'm afraid there's nowhere to sit down...”

“That's alright. I can stand, I just need to catch my breath a little,” Namine said, getting out her fan and giving Roxas a reassuring look to let him know she was alright. He took a respectful step back, but still remained poised to give her his arm if she needed it.

Fanning herself, Namine scanned the trees without expecting to feel anything from them. She just reminisced, instead; it had been a terrible loneliness, to remember so much from in and out of time without ever truly connecting.

Kairi took advantage of the quiet to listen for any unusual sound, trying to experience that same feeling she did with Namine. The actual feeling of Namine being there, though, so close, was difficult to separate from.

“... Kairi,” Namine tried gently. Kairi's arm slid away to wander deeper into the wood, looking for any sign at all, and Namine could do nothing but watch after her.

Roxas took over supporting Namine. “Is she...?”

“She's looking, but... there's no one else here.”

“She wants... another you?” Roxas tried to understand.

“She'd like her heir to be... ours, if it can be done.” Namine's voice lowered despondently. “But I don't think it can.”

“ _Could_ she give life to another person like us?”

“I don't know. I think I was a different circumstance.”

Roxas went quiet. “I'm sorry.”

Not so far off that she couldn't hear them, Kairi wanted to tell them to be quiet. She braced herself on a gnarled tree and crouched, closing her eyes.

She felt nothing but the forest around her and Namine nearby, heard nothing but the rustle of leaves and twitter of birds. Most importantly, she _knew_ already.

She had already taken all the life this place had to give.

“... Kairi...?” Biting her lip, Namine regained her footing and approached.

Sliding downwards to sit at the base of the tree, Kairi lifted her face and reached a hand up to her. “Namine...”

She gave Kairi her hand and sank down beside her, eyes suddenly starting to sting. “... I'm sorry...”

Kairi pulled her into her arms, just needing to hold her for a while. With a small ache in his chest, Roxas politely looked away.

For a long time, Kairi was unable to say anything. She just felt Namine in her arms and inside her heart, while she looked around at the forest.

“... This place...” she finally whispered, and Namine lifted her head. “Whatever it is now... this place brought us together. We're not alone anymore because of it.”

Namine nodded a little. “... It's our place. It saved us.”

Kairi briefly held her tighter. “That's all I need.”

Sitting up, Namine kissed her cheek. “No matter what, we _will_ be a family. All of us are a family, already.”

“You're right... And I think I'm ready for Riku to be our family. Sora, too, of course...”

“I wouldn't want any other. You all mean so much to me,” Namine said, looking over at Roxas. He was glancing their way periodically, out of earshot and trying not to intrude.

“I won't lie... An heir that would have been ours together would have been wonderful, but I don't need that to be happy.”

“You'll still have me,” Namine promised. “And you'll love your child very much – we both will.”

Kairi nodded. “I know what I want to do now.”

“Yes...?”

“I'll explain at home.” Kairi sat up slowly. “We should head back.”

“As you like,” Namine smiled at her.

Getting to her feet first, she offered Namine a hand to help her up, covering a sniff by clearing her throat. “I'm sure there's a royal decorator about to lose his mind if I'm not around to approve some flower arrangements.”

“Oh, heaven forbid. We'd best hurry, then.”

Giggling, Kairi called out to Roxas to let him know they were going back. She didn't let go of Namine's hand even for a moment.

 

* * *

 

From the moment he touched ground, Riku had been shuffled from one meeting to the next. His dress uniform needed to be fitted, he needed to be coached through the rehearsal ceremony, opinions needed to be checked and re-checked and then checked once more. He'd expected a hectic arrival; his wedding day was tomorrow.

Unexpectedly, though, he was told to have the rest of the evening off to get his rest. Claiming that he was going to meet with Sora to have a word – not _untrue_ – Riku strode down to the parlor room door and knocked twice.

Roxas answered, only Namine and Sora visible inside. They were seated at a table set for four, tea already prepared and set in front of them.

Namine smiled over at him. “Riku, hello...”

“Your Highness,” Riku bowed before he even stepped inside.

“Any attendants with you, Sir?” Roxas confirmed.

“None. I came alone.”

With a nod, Roxas shut the door. With an explosive exhale, Kairi emerged from the corner of the room, muttering about silly traditions and changes to be made. Riku grinned and gave her a bow.

“Glad to finally see you, Kairi.”

“You as well,” she curtsied and came up to kiss his cheek. “All this business about being kept away from each other until the ceremony...”

“Is utterly ridiculous, I agree.” Riku wrapped her up in a hug. “How have you been? The preparations must have been overwhelming.”

“Compared with the wedding, preparing for my coronation is almost easy. You'll have plenty of catching up to do in diplomacy.”

Sora laughed, digging into a biscuit. “Looks like you'll have to know more than commanding a ship!”

“I'll cram in my studies,” Riku grinned, going to sit with Sora.

Sinking into the chair beside Namine, Kairi leaned over to serve herself some tea. “I'll be so grateful when all of these ceremonies are over...”

“You'll get some rest at last,” Namine said fondly, sipping her tea.

“For a little while, at least,” Riku agreed, one affectionate hand resting against Sora's shoulder.

“Well, yes.” Sipping her tea, Kairi decided the best way to do this was to just dive right into the subject. “I must admit I called you both here for a larger purpose than a tea party...”

Riku tore his eyes off Sora. “Something wrong?”

“Oh, no,” she exhaled. “It's difficult for me to talk about this...”

Namine responded to her pleading look and patiently explained, “It's about everything that will follow your marriage. Kairi's heirs, our family.”

Riku looked almost startled. “Oh.”

“Right. I know we've mentioned it casually in the past, but you must be aware that we'll be expected to be trying for an heir from the first night we're married.”

Sora flushed, thinking of Riku and Kairi... trying. Likewise, Riku had gone a faint shade of pink, but he nodded seriously.

“Of course. I expected as much.”

“I realize it might be a little awkward for us... I want to do this on all of our terms.”

“Our terms?” Sora repeated.

“For example,” Kairi cleared her throat, “if you wanted Sora to join us...”

“I see,” Riku reddened more, glancing at Sora. “I am... _comfortable_ with the idea of Sora joining us. But, for you, would you ever want to include Namine?”

Kairi glanced at Namine, who was fanning herself idly. “We discussed it, but we decided we'd prefer to keep our relationship private.”

Sora's eyes were sparkling, never having before considered that he could be included in this. “Could I really be in bed with both of you?”

Namine covered an amused smile, and Roxas went selectively deaf on the matter of Sora having sex.

“If Kairi is comfortable with the idea... We could,” Riku affirmed.

“It would actually be more comfortable for me than separating the two of you,” Kairi said. “I don't want our relationship to change any more than it has to.”

“Namine, would you be alright with this?” Sora turned to her. She nodded.

“Rest assured, we've talked about this at length. I don't mind Kairi sharing a bed with either of you, especially when it comes to producing heirs.”

Sora took Riku's hand and grinned at him.

“Which brings me to my next proposal,” Kairi sipped her tea. “You see, what we both want is for us to be a family... all of us. I don't ever want to make you feel like an outsider, Sora.”

“You wouldn't,” Sora insisted. “I know how things have to be for you and Riku. And anyway, I love to think of little princes and princesses that look like the two of you.”

“What if one of those little princes or princesses looked like you?” Namine proposed. Riku sat up straighter, eyes widening.

“What?” Sora tilted his head. “I don't...”

“We talked about it, and we thought the best way to include you in the family equally is for me to have a child from both of you,” Kairi elaborated.

Sora's eyes grew huge, staring at her dumbstruck. Riku was in no better of a state.

“We know Her Majesty would be more comfortable with more grandchildren, and this would suit everyone best,” Namine added. “Assuming both of you also think so.”

Kairi was becoming kind of concerned with how long their silence was stretching on. “If we do things this way, we could consider any of the children we have as belonging to the four of us, not just Riku and I. That is, if you agree with that plan.”

“I could be a father,” Sora finally managed weakly.

Riku found his voice. “I agree. Absolutely, I agree.”

“I do, too! I'd be _honored_.”

“There's no need to go that far!” Kairi said quickly, flushed.

“The four of us would be parents,” Riku started to grin. “It's an ideal situation.”

“Our own family...” Sora took one of Kairi's hands, the other in Riku's.

“And you would be uncle to any and all children, Roxas,” Namine looked to him.

He gave her a small smile. “I've never thought of being an uncle.”

“Only if you want to, of course!” Namine realized she shouldn't presume. “But... we would love for you to be involved.”

“If you're saying all of the royal heirs will be Sora's children as well, I haven't got much choice in the matter,” Roxas grinned, though he was privately aware that, even being considered part of the family, he was more outside of their dynamic than before.

“You bet you don't.” Sora was starting to sound emotional. “I never thought I could have a family in that way...”

Riku had reddened again, the image of lying with the two of them rather persistent until it was replaced with the relieving realization that his children would have better parents than he did. He had been thinking of being a father with a degree of dread, not knowing how to be one when his own parental figure had been such a poor example. Knowing Sora would be there to show him what to do was a comfort. “This is exactly the kind of family I'd want. So... it's all settled?”

Kairi was a little bewildered that it was all so easy. “Yes, this is all I wanted to discuss for now.”

Sora grinned. “You know if we do this, we'll have to have more secret meetings like this.”

Thinking she might know how Roxas was feeling, Namine was sneaking glances over at him. “Yes, we ought to. But it will be easier after the wedding.”

“Much easier,” Riku agreed, squeezing Sora's hand. “We should probably leave you to get your rest...”

“Well, I wouldn't object to getting as much rest as I'll be allowed,” Kairi agreed.

Sora started to get to his feet. “We'll see you at the ceremony tomorrow.” He laughed. “You might not see me, though.”

Riku took Kairi's hand to kiss it. “Have a good night, Kairi. And you, Namine.”

“Thank you.”

“The same to you both,” Kairi inclined her head.

“Goodnight, princesses,” Sora bowed.

“And goodnight to you, Roxas,” Riku bade him, as Sora wrapped his brother in a tight hug.

“We'll have some time alone soon,” Sora said, squeezing him.

“I know. Go get some sleep.” Roxas patted his arm. Riku escorted Sora out of the parlor.

Fanning herself, Namine looked to Kairi with a slight smile. “Shall we go up to bed, then?”

“There's nowhere I'd rather be,” she agreed, getting slowly to her feet.

“I'll see you to your room,” Roxas said, well aware that they would not be sleeping separately tonight.

“Thank you, Roxas.” Namine wished she could convey all that she meant by that.

“No need.” He made sure they were both ready to leave before opening the door, informing the maids when they could go in to clean up. Kairi hooked her arm around Namine's as they left the parlor room, the two of them walking in step.

“It's incredible to think it's all going to happen tomorrow... The start of your married life,” Namine reflected, a little awed by the prospect now that it was so near.

“Everything's happening so quickly. I'll hardly have time to recover from the wedding before I'll be crowned.”

“Barely a moment to breathe.”

“But...” Kairi looked at her from the corner of her eyes. “We have tonight.”

Namine went faintly pink. The two of them didn't chat much on their way back up to the Royal wing, Roxas keeping a respectful distance and all three lost in thought.

Kairi would be a good Queen. She'd accomplished much already without the power of the crown, Namine reflected, and she would doubtlessly encourage great strides in the reparation of Radiant Garden. All the busy days and lonely nights would be worth it... and eventually, there wouldn't be a single lonely day to be had. There would be children in the castle, ones Namine could love as her own.

Defying custom, Kairi opened the door for Namine to allow her into her room. “That's all for tonight. Thank you, Roxas.”

“I'll be outside, Your Highness,” Roxas said with a small, knowing grin. Impulsively, Namine caught his arm and gave it a light squeeze.

“Have a good night.”

He smiled at her. “You as well, Namine.”

With a bow, Roxas closed the door after him, leaving the two of them on their own. Kairi drew her over to sit on the bed and was joined willingly, one of Namine's hands gently pushing Kairi's hair back.

“Mm...” Kairi's eyes shut. “I couldn't wait to be alone with you.”

“Me neither.” Namine rested her forehead against Kairi's, the two of them leaning into each other gratefully. “You're not tired, are you...?”

“Not nearly as tired as I should be, reasonably.”

Namine smiled gently. “I'd have thought you'd be exhausted... But I'm glad you aren't going right to sleep.”

“I couldn't miss this chance.” Wrapping her arms around her, Kairi just rested there for a moment. When Namine broke the silence, it was a little timidly.

“I want you...”

“That didn't take long,” Kairi grinned.

Namine went pink and laughed softly. “We don't _have_ very long, if you're going to get any sleep tonight.”

“You're right, as always. Not to mention getting out of these dresses takes ages.”

Reaching around her, Namine began working on unlacing Kairi's. “If you turn and sit, I can help with this, first.”

“How considerate,” Kairi giggled, turning around.

“You couldn't possibly go to bed like this.” Namine's slim fingers plucked the laces loose, efficiently freeing her from the dress.

“... Namine...”

“Mm?”

“Are you really alright with this...?”

“I am,” Namine confirmed, pulling the laces. “I've always known you must marry and continue the family line, and you're lucky to have two men you trust and love so much to help you do that. I owe my freedom in part to both of them... They mean a lot to me. And I love you more than the world.” She slipped the dress down slowly, leaning in to place a light kiss on her shoulder. “I'm alright.”

Kairi closed her eyes as she listened. “I never want you to feel as though I've left you behind. As much as I love Riku, this marriage is still one of obligation for us both. You know what I would choose if I could.”

“You tried to have a child with me... I know what that means to you. What I mean...” Her arms went around her, placing a hand over Kairi's heart. “As long as I can feel this, I know I'm not left behind.”

“I'm so glad to hear it,” Kairi breathed, resting her hands over Namine's. After a moment, she stood to remove her clothing piece by piece.

Namine watched her, admiring. “You're so beautiful... You're going to be the loveliest bride.”

Kairi blushed and gently guided her to turn around. “If you think so, that's all that matters to me.”

Also flushed, Namine got comfortable and swept her hair forward over her shoulder, giving Kairi access to the lacing. She began to loosen the bodice.

“You know... I haven't actually thought about being a mother, only the process of creating a child...”

“I wouldn't worry. You'll be a wonderful mother,” Namine declared.

“Somehow I can only think of you that way. You're so skilled at taking care of others.”

“Then I guess it's a good thing I'll be a mother, too,” she giggled. “I'll be around to help.”

Kairi kissed the back of her neck. “I couldn't do this without you.”

“And you don't need to try.” Namine exhaled as the laces came free. “That feels better already.”

Wrapping her arms around her waist, Kairi held the dress half off of her and continued to drop kisses along her neck to her shoulder, admiring the soft lines of her jaw.

“Mn,” Namine tilted her head with a soft breath. Kairi squeezed her waist gently before stepping back, helping her remove the dress completely. She knew the fit their mother would have over simply leaving their dresses in crumpled heaps on the floor, and she willfully did so anyway.

Turning, Namine rested one hand above Kairi's heart and leaned in to kiss her, melting into it and more requesting deeper contact than taking it. One hand running up and down her back, Kairi began to prompt her back towards the plush covers of the bed.

Welcoming Kairi down with her, Namine slipped a leg between hers, trailing a hand over and sliding down her chest. Kairi broke the kiss off short just to look at her, admiring how much healthier her body looked since her return to Radiant Garden.

“Mm...” Kairi lowered herself back down over her, kissing down past her collar. Namine shivered, hands going to her hair and drawing one knee up slowly, responsive as her legs were tentatively parted. Her head fell back and her fingers slid through Kairi's tresses more purposefully, getting a gentle grip there.

Kneading her thigh, Kairi slowed her descent over her breasts and grinned at the hitch of Namine's breath. She flicked her tongue across a pink peak, and Namine bit her lip too late.

“Mn-...”

“I love to hear you,” Kairi encouraged quietly.

“I don't want to be too loud,” Namine breathed. “I'll get annoying...”

“Let me be the judge of that.” Kairi drew a nipple into her mouth and sucked lightly, enjoying Namine's gasp and shiver. She didn't keep the pressure on for long, hand massaging higher.

Namine's fingertips brushed over Kairi's cheeks and back along her jaw, positioning her legs wider apart to let Kairi settle between them. Breaking away from her skin with a sharp inhale, Kairi tilted her head up to look at her, meeting Namine's eyes.

She was flushed and coy, so alluring. Kairi brushed her hair back lovingly.

“How could I ever want anything more than you,” she murmured.

Namine's blush deepened, one hand carefully roaming down Kairi's body. “I sometimes can't believe how amazing it is that you want me at all.”

Kairi kissed her rather than let her doubt any more, arching into Namine's hand as it kneaded her hip. With a purr, she worked her fingers between her legs, feeling Namine's arousal. To her delight, just the lightest touch made Namine whimper.

She started working her way down again, kisses fluttering over her stomach. There was a giggly quality to Namine's moan, tickled in a pleasing way, and Kairi smiled. Her mouth roved over her hip towards her thigh, sucking without warning.

“ _Ah_ -!” Namine gripped the bed covers, and Kairi didn't let up until she'd left a satisfying red mark, massaging soothing circles into her hips. She was trembling by the time she was done, so _warm_. “Mm, Kairi...”

The sound of her own name was never so beautiful as when Namine said it that way. Kairi kissed inwards and left more marks, each one a little lighter. The hand in Kairi's hair stroked and played with the strands, the other twisting in the blankets. She was more wet now, more needy, so appealing to see. Taking a second to appreciate the sight, Kairi's lips nearly met the apex of her thighs as she dragged a finger along the slit.

Her moan wasn't loud, but unreserved. Namine let her legs part farther, rolling her hips a little encouragingly.

Kairi's finger glided up and down until she felt Namine relax, then slowly eased it inside her. She curled it immediately, seeking the sensitive place that would make her arch and moan, and Namine didn't fail to let her know what felt good. Her moan was long, nerves vibrating inside her body and making her feel pleasantly weightless.

Stroking inside her, she kept that pressure up for a moment or two before easing off, teasing with a second finger. All of Namine's thoughts narrowed to her, and she groaned breathlessly.

“ _Kairi_...”

She nuzzled the leg she was still holding, rubbing her fingertips along the sensitive opening before sliding both inside.

“Mn-nn... Ah...”

“Your voice is so lovely,” Kairi praised, moving both fingers in and out of her at a languid pace. She rarely went faster than this with her, always treating her with such care, and Namine _felt_ so much. There was a familiar spike of pleasure when she remembered that her heartbeat was Kairi's, that it was quick and full because Kairi felt the same way right now.

“ _Ah!_ ”

Getting a similar feeling in return and moaning, Kairi bowed her head to glide her tongue against her most sensitive nerves. Just that sensation was enough to tease her to the promise of orgasm, though it receded again.

Namine's breathing picked up audibly. “Oh-... _Nn_ , Kairi...”

“Mm,” she hummed against her, curling her fingers purposefully, and Namine was right back on that precipice.

“ _Nn_ , that feels-... O-only a little more... Ah...”

Kairi had barely started to tease before Namine was arching up, breath caught on a cry. She could taste the rush of heat, and kept her fingers pumping gently until the shakiness subsided. Panting, Namine sank against the bed and reached out for her, tingling everywhere.

“Mm...” Sliding back up to the bed to settle beside her, Kairi rested her unsullied hand lightly on her stomach. Namine rolled over onto her side and rained kisses down over Kairi's neck and shoulder.

“Mn... You're so sweet...”

“Mmn...” Namine nuzzled her a little, coaxing her back. “And you're perfect... Good and wonderful...”

More than willing to lie back as she was urged to, Kairi giggled. “You sound as if you've been drinking.”

Her own laugh was smothered as she pressed her lips to Kairi's collarbone. “I feel lightheaded... Warm, happy... It's not so different.”

“I consider that a job well done, then,” Kairi sighed softly, tilting her head back.

Namine kissed an eager path down, hands caressing over and up towards her breasts and mouth easing her way down between her legs. She was direct in her desire to please her, the tip of her tongue circling her clit and kissing it.

“Oh-...” Kairi arched into her hands, appreciating that she wasn't slowing things down.

“Mm,” Namine echoed, hands running down until she'd wrapped her arms around Kairi's legs like she was hugging them. She sucked very gently before running her tongue down over her folds, tongue circling again and pressing forward to slip into her, motions constant.

Kairi's moans were high and breathy, mindfully keeping her legs open and getting a hold on the pillow above her head. Namine's tongue occasionally moved in circular motions or flicking over her, humming moans against her clit, and Kairi was having a hard time keeping still with so many waves of sensation washing over her.

“Namine,” Kairi moaned, sounds getting desperate. “That feels so incredi – _ah_...”

Praise made her flush, pleased and wanting to do _more_ for her. She settled for hugging her tighter, moving her tongue faster up over her clit, and Kairi was closing in on orgasm faster than she expected or wanted to. Now that she was so close, though, she couldn't fathom slowing down; one hand drifted down to wind in Namine's hair, the other teasing her own breast intently.

Lips parted wider and Namine slid her tongue down into her again, just for a moment, before humming against her once more. Kairi trembled too wildly to control, over the edge before she had a moment to get a hold of herself or warn Namine – her hips rocked up with a short, shaky cry, barely contained by Namine's hands. Her tongue circled throughout her climax, feeling her heartbeat race.

Kairi hardly breathed until she'd melted against the bed, still feeling like she was floating. Namine nuzzled her thigh, catching her breath.

“Mmn... You're so beautiful...”

Panting in time with her, Kairi tilted her head to smile down at Namine and pushed her hair out of her face. “I’ve missed you...”

“I missed _you_...” Namine was almost tempted to bury her face between her legs again, but settled for kissing her thigh before sitting up. They really did need rest before tomorrow, and it wouldn't do to wear Kairi out.

Heavy with satisfaction and mindful of the chill, Kairi wrapped Namine in her arms.

“You're still so soft,” Namine murmured, entwining herself with her, “even with all the muscle you're gaining.”

“I'll never be all muscle like Riku... but I don't mind. I still feel strong when I hold you.”

“You are,” Namine smiled, resting her forehead against her. “You're going to be such a strong Queen.”

Fingers drifted adoringly through her hair. “With you at my side, I will be. My Namine... You can feel it, right? What's in my heart right now?”

“Yes,” Namine hummed happily. “I feel it too.”

Every point at which they touched was acutely warm, and Kairi was too overwhelmed with love to think about what tomorrow would bring. It wasn't about a wedding, her coronation, or expectations...

It was just about love.


	3. Three Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After months at sea, Axel returns for a rare night with his most prized treasure.

Anyone looking to rob a well-to-do traveler had their eye on the stranger who'd come to town, his ship hidden off the harbor and visibly lacking company. Axel was whistling as he walked, a bag slung over his shoulder and dressed to make a spectacle, his clothes made for a warmer climate and gold braided in the hair he'd tied out of his face. Despite attempts to menace him, though, he walked through the tavern door intact and utterly nonchalant, looking for something he was certain would be there.

Roxas had removed his cloak and hood when they'd grown too stuffy - no one this far out would know him as one of the Royal guards on sight - and as such was easily spotted. The ripple of murmurs reached him back in his private corner, alerting him to the presence of someone unusual, and a smirk started to form on his face as he lifted his head.

Casually, Axel planted a hand on the little table, gold-laden wrist jingling. “This seat taken?”

Taking in his appearance, Roxas raised an eyebrow. “What are you, some visiting prince?”

“I've been living like one.” Axel pulled out a chair and sat with him.

“Hm.” Roxas didn't sound impressed. “Flashy, but I prefer you without a knife in your back.”

“You know I'm more of a danger to them than they are to me,” Axel reminded him.

Roxas hissed, “I know that, but I don't need you attracting attention to me.”

“Then it'd be best if I took all this off.”

Offense seemed to be taken by the suggestion. “I didn't say _that_. We just need to get you somewhere...” Roxas slid his hand across the table until it was almost brushing Axel's, “... away from prying eyes...”

Axel smirked. “Privacy would help us keep our modesty, I suppose.”

Retracting his hand, Roxas reached into his pocket and set a heavy room key down between them. The implication was clearer for Axel's certainty that his welcome would be a warm one.

“Care to lead the way?” he proposed.

Scooping it up again, Roxas stood and Axel followed suit, dragging his wrist along the table to draw attention to the heavy clink of gold. Roxas had to draw upon great fortitude not to let his building excitement show, eyes dragging up to the ceiling as they crossed the familiar darkened bar to the stairs.

This dance was one they often performed here, a safe midpoint by the piers Axel never docked his ship at. Axel had once stopped by with the intention of dropping rumors, asking around until he either drew Roxas out to him or he had no choice but to climb the castle walls. He hadn't expected Roxas to already be there, waiting with the foreknowledge bequeathed to him by Namine and her pictures. Now, any time he could bring the Ship That Never Was by to Radiant Garden, he could count on finding Roxas there.

They did this often, but not nearly often enough. The desire to drop everything and ravish Roxas on the stairwell shone in Axel's dimly glowing eyes.

As though he could either sense that need or was combating his own, Roxas didn't so much as glance back as he crossed the landing. He really did ache to look at him and drink in every detail... but not just yet.

Voice lowered, Axel questioned, “What do you think – should we catch up on everything first, or will talk come after?”

Unlocking the door and pushing it forward, Roxas stepped inside and turned to face him. “Kiss me,” he ordered.

Sliding the bag off his shoulder and letting it drop, Axel took his face in both hands as he hastily leaned down to comply, barely getting his flaring temperature under control in time and deepening the contact immediately. Roxas could feel the lingering heat, tilting his head up into it. He needed less than a second to remember how they fit against each other.

“ _Mm_...”

Hands briefly gripped at Roxas before sliding down, Axel comparing the real feel of him to his memory. Roxas's hands were also roaming within moments, kissing him with all the intensity that was swelling up in his chest and threatening to make him burst. He steered Axel backwards until he was pushed firmly against the door. Groan muffled, Axel sank back against it and sucked at Roxas's lower lip.

“Mm,” Roxas moaned, gradually breaking the kiss. “Have you been missing me?”

“Every day...” Hands running up into golden hair, Axel purred. “Every night...”

Tilting his head to Axel's hands, Roxas's eyes closed lightly. “I've hardly been able to bear it these last few weeks...”

Axel spoke between hungry kisses that he trailed up his jaw. “I thought... when I first set out... I'd be gone longer. Couldn't stand it.”

“Nn... Life around here has been so tortuously ordinary... I'm just dying for some _excitement_.” Roxas brought his leg up to Axel's hip and pressed his knee to the door, and Axel slid his hand over the offered thigh with a soft growl.

“I could always sweep you away. Carry you off to the ship, show you exotic places with even more exotic riches.”

Axel sought to undress him, and Roxas started on his belt in turn.

“It's tempting... I won't lie...”

“Maybe I'll convince you next time,” Axel grinned, pulling impatiently at Roxas's clothes. “I can provide _excitement_ in the meantime.”

Finishing with Axel's belt, Roxas aided in the process of stripping himself down to nothing. “I'll have to get my thrills now.”

Glowing eyes raked over him. “How much of my clothing do you want off?”

“You can drop whatever doesn't shine.”

Smirking, Axel began to undress himself deftly. “In case you were wondering, these _do_ stay with me when I leave. I'll be checking your pockets.”

“I'll have to get creative.”

“Don't we always?” Dropping his shirt, he grabbed Roxas under his ass and hiked him up onto his waist.

“So,” Roxas purred, “are you going to play the prince for me?”

“I can be charming,” Axel told him, kissing him again briefly.

“If you're a prince, I expect to be your pampered concubine, basking in riches.”

Easing him onto the bed, Axel moved over top of him and slid his hands up Roxas's chest, letting the bracelets skim his skin. “Naturally. That's when you're most attractive.”

Roxas shivered a little at the touch of cool metal mixed with Axel's heat. “Ngh...”

“I want every inch of you draped in gold so I can hear it when you shake,” Axel murmured. “When I _make_ you quiver...”

His head dropped back against the mattress. “I have _waited_ to hear you say that...”

“Mmn...” Moving down, Axel dragged his lips down his chest. “I've waited to hear you... Your moans, your breath, you cursing me for going too slow.”

“You're planning to make me wait?”

“No,” Axel smirked against his skin. “But you're impatient.”

“You still know me...”

“I know how badly you need the heat.” Sliding down, Axel knelt between his legs and nuzzled his thigh, parting Roxas's legs effortlessly.

“Ngh, I'm never able to get warm like when I'm with you.”

“Mn.” Axel began mouthing up to the apex of his thighs. “Just tell me when it's too hot.”

Sitting up slightly, Roxas watched with lowered lashes and reached out to play with his braid. Axel almost grinned, having known he'd go for the gold in his hair, and descended on his cock.

“ _Ah_...” Roxas dragged his thumb along the gold. “All this for me?”

“Mhm...” Humming slightly, his tongue circled the crown. Roxas's back arched.

“Mm, I'm so honored.”

Just to make his mouth that much warmer, Axel let some of the careful control of his temperature slip as he took him in, nails skimming up his thighs and greedily gripping Roxas's hips when they pulsed shallowly.

“ _Yes_... Mngh-!” Roxas groaned, fingers dipping in and out of the braid. “You know... there's something to be said for having the captain of the most notorious pirate ship of this lifetime between my legs...”

Axel hummed in amusement and descended right to the base. Losing any appearance of having control of the situation, Roxas trembled as a desperate, undignified sound warbled from his throat. Drawing back, Axel sucked at the tip before he pulled off him.

“Are you warm yet?”

“Warm,” Roxas breathed. “Could be warmer.”

“I have just the thing.” Getting up, Axel went to pick his bag up off the floor, the contents shifting with a metallic clink.

Peering curiously at it, Roxas sat up. “That's a lovely sound...”

“I thought you'd think so,” Axel grinned, coming back to the bed and pulling the bag open. “We came across this on an island to the south – popular adornment among the rich...” He removed a thick, heavy length of braided gold, smooth to the touch and hanging like rope. “They wore it around their shoulders, their hips... They wrapped up girls with it in the middle of the street.”

Roxas's eyes widened, then took on a headier look of greed as he focused on the gold. “Mm... You've been on some true adventures...”

“I'll have to tell you about all the details some time.” Axel draped the gold rope around him. “But for now...”

Going still, Roxas allowed himself to whimper as it was wound around his shoulders, not so heavy as to weigh him down but enough to feel solid and valuable. His erection throbbed.

“I'll have to be careful I don't melt this,” Axel murmured, winding it around Roxas's arms.

“Ngh-... _Fuck_ , if I wasn't wearing it, I would adore the sight of molten gold dripping between your fingers.”

Axel purred. “Later, and not with this. This, you keep.” Dragging the tip of his tongue along one of the ends, he descended from the gold to Roxas's chest.

His eyes had widened. “Keep?”

“It's all yours...” Axel sucked lightly at one rosy nipple, and Roxas groaned louder. It was as much in response to the physical sensation as the knowledge that this gold was _his_.

“I really am pampered...”

Axel's hand ran down to skim his cock. “You're the prince's favorite. I'd best pamper you if I want to keep you.”

“ _Mmn_...” Apart from his arched hips, Roxas stretched himself out flat and coiled in the twisted gold. His interest in stealing Axel's bangles had lessened considerably. With half a mind on his heat, Axel sucked and seared, marking Roxas everywhere his lips went and stroking him slowly. He was quickly growing needy, starting to twist and whine, pleasing Axel with his responsiveness.

“Desperate, like I knew you would be,” Axel groaned low.

Panting, Roxas pressed into contact everywhere the heat bloomed from. “I need you so badly, Axel...”

“I know...” He reached for the oil by the bedside and wrenched the stopper free. “What have you missed more... The way I feel inside, or having me inside you?”

“Mn... Can't compare the two.” Roxas's fingers trailed over and up the gold coil. “Will you be staying long enough for both?”

Axel smirked. “How could I resist?”

“That's what I thought.” Roxas sat up to kiss him and gripped the hair at the base of his neck tightly, nipping Axel's lower lip. Slicking his fingers, Axel kissed back fiercely and reached back to press two into himself with a purr.

Breaking the kiss, Roxas tilted his head and made a noise of surprise and approval. Left smirking, Axel pressed him back to the bed.

“Lie back. Let me ride you.”

Roxas shivered. “Oh hell, Axel...”

Shifting and parting his legs, Axel flanked his hips. “Mn.”

Resisting the temptation to drop his head back and shut his eyes in bliss, Roxas kept his eyes on Axel's face. He was taking the time to stretch himself out properly despite his impatience, funneling his heat up to one place in order to exhale it as steam. Roxas let out a throaty sound of longing.

“Soon,” Axel promised, voice roughened. Personally, he didn't want _soon_ – he wanted _now_. The pressure wasn't enough, the motion was barely anything. The only incentive he had to continue with his preparation was to make this as enjoyable an experience for them both as he could, slick himself inside to ride him smooth and fast.

“Yes, please-...” Roxas ran his hands up Axel's long legs. The preparation only took another moment before Axel was hastily oiling his palm and running it over Roxas's cock. Reaching around, Roxas cupped Axel by the ass firmly and pulled him forward. “ _Mn_...”

He was pulled over without resistance. Axel almost growled, but his approval was blatant. “You're brazen.”

“Exactly what you've missed about me. Am I wrong?”

“You are,” Axel smirked, the hand on his cock guiding him inside. “Mn-... Missed so much more than just that.”

Roxas's grip became like iron as the silken heat encompassed him. “Ah, hell, I have missed _this_.”

Sinking onto him with a rough groan, Axel wasted little time in rolling his hips up and back onto Roxas, his breath picking up. With a reverent whisper of his name, Roxas gave Axel full control, challenging himself to keep his hips still. He only massaged his thumbs deep into his flesh, an outlet for all he was feeling.

Axel was getting off on his restraint almost as much as his cock, and once again he had to forcibly keep his temperature under control. With a satisfied grin, he grabbed the gold rope and pulled it up over Roxas like he was physically restraining him, too.

“ _Yes_...” Roxas's head fell back.

Axel didn't bother to tease or go slow. He rode him mercilessly, certain that all the physical could almost make up for what he emotionally lacked – Roxas felt fragile under him, breakable and beautifully human, but also strong for the pressure inside of him and need with which he grabbed at him. Roxas changed the angle of his fingers to let his nails dig into Axel's skin on every drag up, and it was nothing short of exquisite.

“ _Fuck_ – skilled fingers... Missed those too...”

“Wish I got to practice my skills a little more... _Mngh_...”

Axel laughed lowly. “In stealing, or in fucking?”

“I don't get much opportunity for either,” Roxas panted.

“ _Ngh,_ shame...”

“Would you rather I found some tavern crawler to sharpen my nails on?”

Axel growled. “Only if you're robbing him blind.”

“Obviousl-... _Ah!_ ”

He'd tightened around Roxas, fucking himself harder and groaning louder.

“S-so hot -” Roxas mewled desperately, almost losing control of himself and breaking his self-made promise to keep still. Axel was barely remembering to control his heat.

“That's perfect... Fuck...”

“Won't be long-... You feel amazing...” It was no good. Roxas was helpless to the need to buck his hips, and Axel met them halfway with a moan.

“Good, I want it... Want to see your face...”

Rolling his hips up smoothly, Roxas took everything he was craving and let his eyes finally close in ecstasy. “ _Axel_...”

“Just let it go, Rox... Fuck me,” Axel urged him, deliberately holding himself back. He was so close, now...

Hands moving up to take hold of Axel's hips, Roxas stopped holding anything back and pounded up into him until he couldn't take it anymore. “ _Nngh!_ Ah -”

“Ngh, _that's_ it, fuck yes -”

Shuddering, Roxas spilled into him, his nails piercing into Axel's hips. He was heating up around Roxas, almost too much to bear, and the steam on Axel's breath was accidental this time.

“ _Yes..._ ” he groaned loud, making himself hold back on his orgasm. Breathing rough, he eased himself off Roxas and leaned down to capture his lips. Roxas kissed back hard, chest rising and falling fast while the aftermath of his climax washed over him.

Now, Axel could let himself come... He wanted it to be like this, with Roxas's mouth on him. He was buzzing with blissful soreness and _need_ , growling Roxas's name as he stroked himself to the edge and hissing when a bite to his throat sent him over it. Pleasure swelled and broke past a barrier, giving Axel the relief he craved.

A lazy grin spread as orgasm receded into heady afterglow, and Roxas eased off into wholehearted kisses.

“Mm...”

Exhaling, Axel sank into bed beside him. Roxas trailed his fingers along the braid in his hair.

“I love you...”

“I know,” Axel grinned, tilting his jaw to kiss him. “I need you.”

Roxas kissed him softly, still catching his breath. “I've dreamed of lying next to you like this.”

“I don't need to leave until the morning,” Axel murmured.

Rolling on top of him, Roxas mumbled against his lips, “Then we're in need of more drinks.”

“Mmn.” Axel kissed him in assent.

Putting his hands on Axel's chest, Roxas pushed himself up to straddle his hips, flushed and shining with sweat. Axel's eyes followed the gold as it slid off Roxas's shoulders, while Roxas stared into his glowing eyes like they were precious gems he was coveting.

Liking that expression, Axel smirked. “Keep looking at me like that, and I'll skip the drinks to fuck you again.”

Roxas purred. “I can get drinks any time.”

Hands roamed over his thighs. “You're irresistible.”

“After all this time, I'd better be...”

Axel laughed. “I suppose I could bring drinks upstairs. Best of both worlds.”

Dragging his hands back up his chest, Roxas slid off of him, letting Axel steal another kiss before he went to adequately redress. Stretching out on the bed, Roxas played with the pendant around his neck, never one to take it off.

He often thought that only he and Axel knew its true value, which had surpassed all appraisal. It had once been valuable all on its own, but had become something more when Axel parted with it.

Clad in his boots, trousers, and shirt, Axel decided he was passably dressed. “What's your poison?”

“Something strong and disgusting. I've been living off piss-weak ale.” Nobles couldn't hold their drink to save their lives.

“The best money can buy, then,” Axel snickered.

“You know how to treat me,” Roxas praised, fingering the gold rope again.

“I ought to. I'll be back in a moment.” He took the key when he slipped out of the room, and Roxas heard the door lock. He wasn't bothered; he knew that Axel liked to keep his treasure secure.

“Mm...” Roxas lounged back, head spinning pleasantly as he drifted his hand over the gold.

When Axel came back, it was with laden arms. He brought tall tankards and had to struggle to unlock the door again, kicking it shut once he was back inside. “Delivery.”

Sitting up, Roxas smirked and reached out for one of the tankards. Axel sank onto the edge of the bed.

“Bottom's up,” he declared.

Roxas tipped the tankard back with a small moan, drinking deeply and lowering it with a smack of his lips. “Tell me honestly...”

“Mn?” Axel licked his lips following a drink of his own.

“Is this really the finest you could buy?”

“I suppose I could have gone out to a finer tavern.”

“Answers my question well enough.” Roxas licked his lips slowly. It did fill the requirements of 'strong and disgusting'.

“It'll get you drunk, all the same.”

Roxas leaned in towards him. “You do that for me just as well.”

With a smirk, Axel sat closer and joined Roxas in another drink, watching him. His eyes roved slowly down to the rhythmic movement of his throat as he swallowed, down to his attractively marred chest. The pendant dangled over an old scar, a handprint burned into the plane of skin over Roxas's heart.

Noticing that he was being watched, Roxas quirked an eyebrow at him.

“You're gorgeous.”

“I have to try,” Roxas lowered his tankard, enjoying the afterburn of alcohol. “Being a guardsman tends to make men fat and contented.”

Axel snorted. “I have a hard time believing you get much time to relax around those stubborn royals.”

“You're only thinking of Kairi.”

“They all seem the same to me,” Axel dismissed.

“Well, now that she's been crowned, I'm not important enough to guard her anymore,” Roxas shrugged.

“But important enough to guard the beloved sister,” Axel countered. “If you fell out of shape, she'd probably triple the guard.”

“At least,” he laughed.

Taking a long swig and draining his tankard, Axel reached over to put it aside. “Mn. And I reap the benefits.”

Roxas finished off his own drink and was promptly kissed when he put it down beside Axel's. With a little hum, he swung his leg over Axel's hips, meeting the kiss with reinvigorated need. Axel was thorough in tasting him, finding Roxas through the tang of alcohol and flaring from the satisfaction. His heat sparked high, and he pulled it back in too late.

“Ah -” Twitching back, Roxas brushed his singed lips.

Axel exhaled. Cool off. “Sorry.”

Licking them slowly, Roxas let himself experience the raw ache and determined he didn't mind. “No... It's been so long since I've felt anything like this...”

“Like the look of 'em like that,” Axel confessed. “Just a little burned...”

“They're going to tingle for days.”

“Ngh...” His arousal was rekindled by the thought. For days after his departure, Roxas would be reminded of him constantly.

Roxas had the same thought, and reacted similarly. He rocked slowly down into Axel's lap, reawakened to lust.

“I thought I was the one being good to you... How the tables turn,” Axel murmured. Snickering, Roxas recaptured their kiss hungrily, nipping Axel's lip in answer to the sting of the burns. One hand slid up into Roxas's hair with a pleased, muffled snicker.

Parting his lips, Roxas coaxed Axel's tongue into his mouth like he was trying to steal it, squeezing his hips with his thighs. Between kisses, he started to tug at his clothes. “I need these off.”

“Take 'em,” Axel invited, starting on his shirt. His bracelets made quite a bit of noise as he tossed it aside, distracting Roxas in his mission to divest him of the trousers. Leaving them open, Roxas crawled his fingers up his chest, dipping his head to leave hot open-mouthed kisses in the wake.

With a slight shudder, Axel's hands slid encouragingly into Roxas's hair again. “Talented little tease.”

Working his way up to his throat, Roxas sucked hard.

“ _Ngh_ , going to mark me...?”

“Mn, got to, if I'm going to let you leave.”

“Harder, then,” Axel purred. He was obliged with a sharp bite, making him hiss and grin. When Roxas started to grind with his teeth, sending hot jolts through the nerves, he made a noise that was clearly not one of opposition. “Gonna break skin...”

The deeper the bite, the longer the mark would last, and they both liked that idea. Lips curled into a grin, Roxas bit down harder, puncturing with his canines. Axel grunted softly, feeling the blood rising to the wound, then groaned.

Pulling away at the taste of copper, Roxas found himself pushed to the mattress in the next moment. Axel rocked against him and kissed down his neck, giving into his urge to _take_.

“Mm...” Arching up to him, Roxas stretched his arms over his head, enjoying the scrape of teeth across his collarbone. “ _Axel_ , I need you to fuck me like you'll never see me again.”

Abruptly, Axel sucked harder and hitched Roxas's leg up to flank him. “ _Mmn_...”

With a throaty groan, Roxas locked his leg around Axel's waist, breath hitching as his skin prickled. Axel had focused his heat at his lips, leaving gentle burns behind when he lingered and grinding against him. Blindly, he reached out for the bottle of oil again.

“ _Yes_...” Roxas started to squirm. “Your mouth-... If I could steal that away from you...”

Axel's tongue traced the new red mark he'd made, slicking his fingers messily but thoroughly. He dragged himself back up towards Roxas's neck, biting down lightly to add pressure to the fire.

“ _Ah_...” Twitching around him, Roxas hastily adjusted his position to spread his legs invitingly. Axel accepted accordingly, pressing one finger gradually inside.

“You're so hot inside,” Axel told him, already curling his finger to brush his prostate.

Inhaling shallowly, Roxas's head dropped back against the pillow. “Ngh, I can't be nearly as hot as you...”

“Let me help with that.”

Kisses seared across his neck, Roxas tilting his head with a whimper and biting into his lip hard. Axel twisted his finger, thrusting it shallowly back and forth, and Roxas was trying to memorize this moment while simultaneously focusing on nothing beyond it.

Seeking out his pulse point to admire the thrum, Axel stretched him out a little more and started to press a second finger into him. He was as tight around his fingers as the first time they slept together.

“Mm...” Roxas's sound was just a touch strained.

Sucking slow and hard, Axel didn't let up until he felt he'd marked his heartbeat. “Hurt?”

“Not at all... but I haven't felt this in a long time.”

“I'll make sure you feel it for days...” Axel curled his fingers, and Roxas arched like he'd been beckoned.

“ _Fuck_...”

Humming his approval, Axel buried his lips against his throat again and worked him open with rotating motions. Roxas's hips rocked in time with his fingers, breathing shakily up at the ceiling.

“I want to brand you as mine forever,” Axel purred. “Fuck you so good that your body never stops feeling me...”

Roxas grabbed Axel's free hand to let him feel the old burn scars on his chest. Axel laughed breathlessly.

“Mm, point taken. Guess I already did.” He palmed a little more possessively, admiring.

“I'm never without a reminder of you,” Roxas snickered.

Nipping his earlobe, Axel purred again, “Good.”

A soft hiss escaped Roxas's lips – he _craved_ Axel's voice when it was like that, a low and sensual rumble. Tongue toying with the lobe, Axel started to remove his fingers to add more oil and pressed them back in with more ease.

“Mm-...!” Roxas's moan was sharp in contrast to the way his muscles relaxed, taking in the smooth glide of his fingers.

“That's perfect... This is how I want your body to know me.”

Roxas sounded almost pleading, “I'd love to know you every day...”

“I want that...” Axel's voice became rougher with greed. “I want _you_...”

“Then take what you want.”

Gentle in reply to any resistance, Axel slid a third finger in alongside the others. “Can you handle it? Knowing how hard I'm gonna fuck you, do you think you're ready?”

“Mm, I think Namine will understand if I'm not walking for a day or two.”

His body was beautifully pliant. Only a little more... “Good, because I want your legs to buckle every time you think of me.”

“I'm trembling already,” Roxas groaned.

“This is nothing yet.”

Roxas's eyes shut tight for a moment, feeling Axel withdrawing his fingers slow. “Perfect...”

Kissing him deeply to occupy Roxas as he slicked himself, Axel wiped his hand carelessly on the sheets when he was through and guided himself to his entrance. With a growl, he hiked Roxas's leg higher and pressed into him, and already Roxas felt wonderfully complete before he was even fully inside.

Rocking into him, Axel didn't go too hard to start with but was never still, his body heat radiating just under control. Roxas moaned low; he was never able to forget how Axel's heat felt inside of him, but also could never do it justice in his memory.

“You're fucking incredible, Rox... Like a virgin all over again, with the skill of a whore...”

Practically incomprehensible, Roxas kissed him like he needed it more than air. Axel tried to get closer right up until the need to move _more_ overtook all other urges, and the kiss was broken to thrust into him at a harder pace.

Roxas's gasp was clearly not one of pain.

Taking him hard and deep, Axel tightly wrapped him up in one arm, the hot still-solid gold on his wrist pressing into Roxas's skin. He felt it sear across his back, and just for a second, Roxas was convinced he was losing his mind.

“ _Ahh-!_ ”

Pleasure pulsed through Axel and had him struggling to control himself, desperate not to have to stop now. His groan was long and rough, sliding a hand down between them to let Roxas buck into it, and he rutted together with him with louder mewls. Roxas seemed to be trying to make the entire tavern audience to them, not caring that his back was burning; he felt like Axel was melting him down and turning his flesh to pure gold.

“Soon, Rox, you feel...” Axel was sure he couldn't hold back both heat and orgasm at the same time, and one of them had to give. His thrusts and pace were unyielding, letting the buzz of ecstasy build. “ _Ngh_ , you feel -”

Finally, Roxas found a handful of words. “Fuck-... Yes, yes, fuck, Axel please...”

Leaning in, Axel bit down on his neck. His entire body rushed and gave him a wild sense of delirium, pleasure mounting to a peak and snapping right past it. With a breathless howl, Roxas went rigid through his orgasm apart from minute twitches from his hips, helpless to the sensations overtaking him.

As ecstasy cooled to satisfaction, Axel reined his heat back in and kissed Roxas's jaw. Hardly breathing in the aftermath, Roxas dropped his head back and waited for the room to stop spinning. Slowly, they were shifted until Roxas was half-draped over Axel's torso, and he nuzzled him lazily.

“Nn...”

“You were so good,” Axel murmured languidly.

“Mm, that should keep me going for a few months...”

Axel purred. “Hopefully I'll get back before that buzz wears off.”

Roxas wanted to tell him to come back sooner than that, before that could happen. “I'll be watching the horizon,” he promised, instead.

“Tonight, though, I stay,” Axel reminded him.

“Then let's just sleep here.”

“Couldn't agree more,” he declared, getting comfortable.

Reaching back, Roxas brushed the raised burning stripe that was the width of Axel's bangle. “You left another one.”

Unabashed, Axel laughed. “... Sorry,” he apologized only because he knew he should.

“Mm, you won't be out of my thoughts for one moment while it heals.”

“You never leave mine.”

Roxas grinned. “How sweet.”

Smirking, Axel kissed his shoulder. “Is it? I thought it was an obsession.”

“For you... For now, it's sweet.” Meeting the occasional idle kiss, Roxas nibbled Axel's lower lip, enticing him into proper contact. He sank into it, both of them starting to feel the exhaustion of two rounds of wholly satisfying sex.

Roxas broke the kiss and brushed their cheeks together, but was startled to feel wetness there.

“... You're crying?” Axel sat back a little, looking for the tears.

“Sorry.” Sitting up, Roxas wiped his eyes. “Human thing...”

Axel eased Roxas's hand away. “Is it sadness?”

“Not exactly... Or not entirely.”

He didn't want Axel to go. He _did_ want him to go, wanted him to find the heart and the humanity he had been seeking for so long. He wanted Axel to find it for his own sake, but the selfish part of Roxas also wanted Axel to find it for him.

“Complex,” Axel murmured, trying to wrap his head around the emotions he couldn't feel.

Roxas nodded. “I just-... seeing you for only hours after months... I feel too _much_...” he brushed away fresh tears. “It's completely overwhelming.”

Something stirred, like envy or longing – he wouldn't be able to tell even if he had longer with Roxas. Instead of trying to explore it just to find himself blocked, Axel brushed away Roxas's tears and kissed him. For his part, Roxas was much happier to kiss him than cry.

Axel lingered before he spoke. “... I'm going to wake you, if you sleep. Not right away – just a few hours. So you can tell me about anything new about the palace or ridiculous about the nobles.”

Roxas grinned, the flow of his tears stemmed. “You'll have to bring me something to eat when you do, or I won't feel much like talking.”

“You're getting spoiled, now.”

“You came to spoil me,” Roxas replied smugly. With a sound of agreement, Axel kissed him again.

For now, they were here. They had time to make the most of. Roxas would keep a weather eye out for the day when all the waiting became worth it.


End file.
